Lovely etc.

Cheap DIY party centerpieces

2013-02-07T12:47:00.000-05:00

My grandmother recently celebrated her 80th birthday. Eighty years is a pretty big accomplishment. Definitely worthy of an extra special celebration, so my family decided it was a great time for a surprise party.

I’ve seen the most amazing, gorgeous party decorations all over Pinterest. I was all set to recreate some of those fantastic decorations, when I suddenly remembered a few things: I don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend on decorations for one party. And I don’t have hundreds of hours to spend on decorations for one party.

There were also some other real life limitations. The party was being held in the church gym – a pretty big room – and I would need to decorate ten tables for people to sit at. Which means whatever easy and cheap thing I came up with had to make an impact. Anything subtle was out of the question.

I decided tissue paper flowers were the way to go. The bright colors made a huge impact in the room even though the actual centerpieces were pretty small. I already had some colorful tissue paper on hand but you can get packs of multicolor tissue paper at the Dollar Tree. One buck for forty sheets of tissue paper – you can’t really beat that price. For the stems you can use green pipe cleaners, but I decided to use floral picks instead. They are basically green wooden sticks with wire wrapped around them to attach the flower with and are much sturdier than pipe cleaners. You can pick these up in the fake flower aisle at Walmart. They are three bucks for around 50 picks. If you have never made tissue paper flowers before, you can find a good tutorial here.

We decided to use aqua Mason jars we already had on hand as the vases. If you don’t already have a stash of Mason jars though, you can pick up a dozen pretty cheaply at Walmart. Or if you have a little more time and motivation, vintage ones are pretty easy to find at yard sales.

The pop of color was just the thing that was needed in the large space. But it still needed a little more. So I used a circle punch and some card stock to make oversized confetti to sprinkle around. I also made photo confetti to make it all a little more personal. After gathering photos of my grandmother from throughout her life, I shrunk them down and photocopied them onto cardstock. A little more circle punch action and we had photo confetti.

So there you have it, super cheap, meaningful party centerpieces. The great thing is that these could totally work for pretty much any occasion from birthdays to graduation or anniversary parties.

30 Things I Love About You: The Perfect Husband Gift

2013-01-30T13:08:00.000-05:00

Looking for a great way to show someone how much you love them? I have a great gift idea to share today – it is probably the best gift I have ever given someone. This is the perfect thing to show your husband, fiance, boyfriend, or even your kids just how much you love them.

I made this for my hubby’s thirtieth birthday but it would also be an excellent gift to celebrate an anniversary or even for Valentine’s Day.

In honor of his thirtieth, I decided to make him a photo book celebrating 30 things I love about him. It was a huge hit.

After brainstorming a list of a ton of things I love about him (both silly, shallow things and big, important things), I looked through all of our old pictures to find good ones that matched up with the things on my list. I also pulled out some of my favorite scenic shots to use as backgrounds. And then I had a blast putting it all together. (I used shutterfly.com but there are tons of sites out there that let you make photo books. And they are constantly running deals so look online for a coupon or grab a Groupon to save some money.)

Here are a sampling of some of my favorite pages.

When he opened it and read it, he absolutely loved it. Don’t tell anyone but there may have even been a tear or two.

I love that this was a gift that really meant something. I loved remembering all of the things I love so much about my husband and he certainly loved being reminded of them.

And now we have a permanent record of our relationship right now, eight years into marriage. I had made a simpler version out of scrapbook paper for his 21st birthday – 21 things I loved about him.
We pulled that little book out and it was a huge treat comparing the two, seeing how many of the things were the same and how many were completely different. I definitely plan to carry on this tradition for his next milestone birthday.

What is your favorite meaningful gift that you have given or received? And have you made any memorable photo books? This was my first and I can’t wait to make some more.

DIY nursery on a tiny budget

2013-01-24T20:32:00.001-05:00

A couple of months ago, I shared the DIY/vintage nursery I created for my son. In that reveal I promised to be back soon to share my total cost, tutorials, and budget. But then it turned out little Griffin was ready to make an early appearance the next day and I never got around to following up.

It turns out taking care of a newborn doesn’t leave lots of time or brain cells for blogging. BUT, now that the little guy is eight weeks old and (slept 8 hours straight two nights in a row!!) I think I am finally ready to share all of the details of his little aqua and gray nursery.

First some before and after pics. As I shared last summer, this room used to be my craft room/office. Which in real life meant that it was packed to the brim with all kinds of craft supplies, home décor, and other random stuff I might use one day.

Before and After

A major improvement for sure! This nursery was a major accomplishment for me – because so much of it was DIYed, because I actually completed it in a timely fashion, and because it was all done on a MAJOR budget. After clearing all of the junk out, the only things left in the room to be used in the nursery were a small bookcase that I moved into the closet and a sign I had previously painted.

Which means this room makeover started pretty much from scratch. Prepare to be amazed…

Nursery Sources and Costs

Crib – I was lucky enough to win the crib and crib mattress from a giveaway at Young House Love a few years ago. free
Crib sheet – DIY using this tutorial, $12 for fabric
Crib skirt – DIY, $15 for fabric
Dresser – a free hand me down from a lovely blog reader, I painted it and replaced the hardware with vintage glass doorknobs I found at a yard sale last year for ten bucks, $10
Floating shelves – Lack shelves from Ikea, $28
Dream Big Letters – DIY – tutorial here, $20 for wood and paint
Tissue paper poms – decorations from my baby shower, free
Striped hamper – TJ Maxx, $12
Blessed sign – DIY with materials on hand, free
Green toolbox – yard sale find that I painted, $3
All other accessories were already owned, free

Bookcase – a hand me down from a friend who was moving that I painted. free
Glider – I found the glider on Craigslist and reupholstered it. The fabric was ultra cheap because I used some curtains I found on clearance and dyed. $50
Chevron throw – TJ Maxx, $20
Gallery Wall – frames from Michaels, all artwork free, $42 for frames
Side table – Antique store find I painted white, $30
Lamp and pillow – already owned, free

Striped Curtains – white Ikea panels that I painted stripes on, $50
Curtain hardware – a DIY using basic supplies from the hardware store, $46
Rug – originally from Pottery Barn teen, I bought it at a consignment sale, $25
Vintage toolbox holding books – found at antique store, $10

Grand total for the entire room– $373

If you ask me, that is an amazing budget for an entire room of furniture and accessories. Admittedly I did get very lucky with the free crib. But a lot of people pay more for a nursery glider than I paid for a fully accessorized room so I still feel pretty proud of myself.

(I am also proud that I finally got this post finished! And for now, my plan is to post at least once a week so be on the lookout for more to come.)

So what do you think? Anyone else out there have some super cheap redos under their belt? I’d love to hear how you did it.

Here’s to 2013

2013-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! So sorry for the long absence. I have been quite busy spending time with baby Griffin all day…and night. But we are starting to figure things out a bit. And as much as I love being a mom, I am definitely ready to get back to some of the other things I love. And now for a gratuitous picture. Isn't he cute?

Like pretty much everyone else, the start of the new year has got me really thinking about change. Over the past year, a lot of things have changed for me. Some of them obvious – my sweet little baby for one – and some more subtle. Last year at this time, I posted a list of my home goals for the year. I was afraid to even look at that list because I certainly did not check everything off. But in the interest of full disclosure here is a brief summary:

Banish the brown and gold from the kitchen – 100% didn’t happen.
Get some more light in the house – not so much.
Make the foyer inviting – nope.
Make built-ins in the living room – yes, I actually did this one!
Overhaul master bathroom – still no.
Rehab big pieces of furniture in basement – painted one wardrobe, sold most of the rest in my major hoard-busting yard sale.
Change the flooring throughout the house – finished painting the living and dining room floors.

So not such great progress – I completed one goal and halfway accomplished two more. Of course when I made that list, I didn’t anticipate spending most of 2012 pregnant.

At the start of 2013, I remembered my list of home goals from last year and contemplated making another one. But I really don’t feel the desire to make a list of home goals this year. There are still plenty of things I want to lovelify (is that a real word?) around here – including all of the things I never got to in 2012. But when I think about what I want out of 2013, a pretty house isn’t really at the top of the list.

However, there are some things I am definitely looking forward to doing a little differently in 2013.

Take risks. It is so easy to play it safe and it is certainly in my nature to take the more secure, stable option. But I think it is time to start taking some chances and stepping out on a limb. It is time for a little more excitement. I’m really not sure what this will look like but I’m on the look out for new opportunities.
Really focus on showing my husband love in the way he best receives it. If you haven’t ever read The Five Love Languages, you really should. It is a great book for anyone in any kind of relationship and it really explains why even if you love someone like crazy, they may not feel it if you aren’t speaking their ‘language.’ My husband’s love language is physical touch and mine so isn’t so I have my work cut out for me.
Lose the baby weight – yes, it is a total cliché to make a New Years Resolution to lose weight, but, hey, this year it really is a top priority. I’m not feeling too great about how I look right now and that has to change.
Lose the clutter. Last summer I did a huge whole-house purge and got rid of tons and tons of stuff…but lately I am feeling like it wasn’t enough. How much stuff do two people (and a tiny baby) really need? Way less than what we have. I want to get rid of more. I want to be ruthless about it.
Figure out how to balance Lovely Etc. with my other responsibilities and priorities. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Lovely Etc. over the past several weeks that I haven’t been blogging. I love blogging and am not going to quit but I am planning to make some changes around here. More to come on that soon.
Take lots of pictures of my family. Sadly most of the pictures on my hard drive from the past couple of years are of creative projects. I am resolved to take lots of pictures of the important people and places in my life this year.
Take another crack at that list of home goals from last year. Okay, so I just can’t help it. Decorating may not be my top priority but I still love doing it. And there are definitely still plenty of places in my home that are in major need of love.

Here's to accomplishing way more of the things on my 2013 list than my 2012 list! Because this list is definitely a little more important to me.

Over the next few weeks I will finally be sharing some details about the nursery as well as some things that have been on my mind lately and some of my thoughts on the future of Lovely Etc. Have a great week!

Baby Lovely is here!

2012-12-03T15:23:00.003-05:00

It turns out last week was more eventful than anticipated! Our sweet baby was born Wednesday, November 28th.

Meet Griffin! 7 pounds, 13 ounces, 19 inches long and very healthy. We have been spending the past few days just enjoying getting to know him. (And of course resting and recuperating as well).

What began as a routine doctor's appointment Tuesday led to us checking into the hospital and eventually having to have a C-section. I am so thankful that things worked out the way they did because it turns out the cord was wrapped around little Griffin's neck three times. I feel very blessed to finally have this little boy safe and sound in my arms.

Sometime soon I will post the sources for the nursery (which was truly finished just in time!) and more pics of the sweet baby.

Gray and Aqua nursery reveal

2012-11-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

While everyone else has begun a flurry of holiday preparation, around here we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of baby Lovely. Which is why you haven’t seen much action here at Lovely Etc. lately – all of my energy has been focused on wrapping things up before the baby comes… along with lots and lots of resting.

But now the nursery is complete – and not a minute too soon since my due date is only a week away!

I am so happy with how everything turned out. The nursery blends so well with the rest of the house and is just my style…because let’s be real, the baby could care less what it looks like.

My major goals were to create a clean, uncluttered nursery fit for a boy that was full of vintage finds and DIY projects. And above all, it had to be done on a tight budget! And I have to say I think I met all my goals. I love the mix of vintage and modern finds and it seems like almost everything in the room was DIYed in one way or another. Plus the tight budget was definitely accomplished – thanks to a combination of creativity and luck, the entire room cost less than what some people spend on a crib.

But anyway, enough talking…here are the pictures.

I love how it turned out – and the fact there is now a room in my house that I can actually call finished. (Even though I do still need to put pics in a few frames and hem the curtains – why be picky?)

And be sure to check out this post for a complete list of sources, links to all the DIY projects, and the crazy before pics so you can see how far this room has come.

I am linking up my nursery at Happy Hour and Simple Home Life.

Have a great week,

Real-life baby shower–beautiful, delicious, fun

2012-10-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to have my lovely friends Lindsay, Jessica, and Hannah throw me a wonderful baby shower a few weeks ago. I have to admit that I am not always a fan of baby showers. Baby showers usually involve women of all ages that often don’t know each other. So everything gets very sterile and a bit dull. But I absolutely loved this baby shower – even though there were definitely guests of all ages – from babies to great grandmothers. Perhaps I liked it so much because it was for me, but I think there were some really great details that really made the party.

My shower was held in a church multipurpose room – a bit lacking in character but large enough for all of the guests and free. A variety of tissue paper poms and banners really brightened everything and made the room look festive.

The food was also great. They managed to make my favorite foods – pizza and brownies – refined enough for a baby shower.

There was a make your own pizza bar complete with a toaster oven for making them all melty and delicious.

And there was a brownie buffet with four different types of brownies and a make your own mini fruit pizza station. So yummy.

But the very best parts (other than hanging out with all the guests) were the games.

There was Baby Name That Tune. They played ten songs that have baby in the name and guests had to name the song title and singer of as many as they could. Whoever got the most right was the winner.

Then we played a sweet little crafty game. This one was especially a crowd pleaser for guests of all ages. Guests at each table were given magazines, scissors, glue, and a piece of paper. They had several minutes to cut out pictures from the magazines and put them together into a collage of what they think the baby will look like. I then had the tough job of judging which table of guests were the winners. The pictures were so hilarious – here is a small sampling of some of my favorites!

By the way, the second picture was the winner. That little guy looked the most like the hubby and I.

The shower was wonderful and I think there were lots of great ideas that anyone could use when planning a traditional baby shower that is actually fun.

Are you usually a baby shower lover or hater? What is your favorite shower game or food? Did you love your shower above all others?

Post-It Notes: The new Photoshop

2012-10-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Forget fancy software and tools. My newest design tool – the humble Post-It note.

The other day at work I was stuck monitoring a student in someone else’s office. The student was working diligently but I had absolutely nothing with me to work on. So I grabbed a few Post-its and a pencil and started working out some of the nursery details.

The nursery is coming along awesomely – one of the main projects left is just hanging art on the walls. I knew I wanted to incorporate floating shelves, my Dream Big letters, and a gallery wall but wasn’t sure what should go where. So I started sketching.

I quickly decided the shelves made the most sense over the dresser.

Next, I worked on the possibilities for over the crib. The great thing about Post-its is that it’s really easy to layer them to see different possibilities.

And I tried the same combos over the glider (framed by the window and closet curtains).

I won’t tell you what I decided, but my rudimentary design mock-ups definitely helped. So if you ever feel limited by your knowledge of technology or lack of funds for design tools, just remember technology is great but it isn’t everything.

I’m sure I won’t be making all my design decisions this way, but hey it was fun for a change.

How to paint striped curtains

2012-10-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

I am a firm believer that you can improve almost anything with paint. It’s cheap, comes in thousands of colors, and works on almost anything. Including curtains.

I absolutely love these gray and white striped panels from Crate and Barrel – they are exactly what I wanted for the nursery.

But one 96” panel is $99. On the other hand, these 96” plain white panels from Ikea are $25 for a pair. Not only that, they have a similar grommet top which I love and they are a nice thick, light-blocking fabric.

The only thing missing is the stripes – that’s where the paint comes in. Luckily, I have been hanging around enough risk-taking DIY blogs to know curtains are totally paintable. So I went for it. And I picked up lots of tips and tricks along the way to share with all of you.

Before taping and painting, tape your curtains panel down to a large piece of cardboard – I broke down the box our crib came in. This will prevent paint from seeping onto your floor and will also hold the fabric of the curtain in place so that you can get straight stripes.
Tape off your stripes using blue painter’s tape – not frog tape. Blue painter’s tape sticks just enough to make clean stripes without pulling too much of the fabric’s fibers.
If you are doing more than one curtain panel, use a template to measure your stripes. I started off measuring each stripe individually and using a straight edge to tape along – but that was taking forever and a day. So I wised up and cut a template out of cardboard to make taping off the stripes easier.
When taping off your stripes, remember to take the width of your tape into account. The tape should always go on the outside of the lines that will be painted. Which means the tape will be on the inside of the stripes that will not be painted. This way all of your stripes will be the same width once painted. So how do you do this using your cardboard template?

When measuring the white stripes, I placed the template completely covering the last paint line – A - and then lightly taped a line next to the edge of the template – B. This is simply a guide line. I then taped a line – C- immediately before line B. Then simply remove line B.
To get nice crisp paint lines, seal the edges of your tape with Mod-Podge before painting. This will keep paint from seeping under the tape.
I found it helpful to use primer followed by 2 coats of regular latex paint. The primer is not required but it helps keep the fabric from soaking up so much of the paint.

I should probably hem these a bit but otherwise they are exactly what I wanted. And since I used paint and painting supplies that were left over from other projects, they were only $25 a pair - or $12.50 each.

And another plus of painting your curtains – if you don’t like how they turn out, just repaint. The first panel I painted was a much lighter silvery gray. It was lovely and subtle – unfortunately, I was going for graphic and modern. So I simply retaped the panel and painted right over the first shade. It worked perfectly.

And there you have it – these gray striped panels are the perfect complement to the DIY industrial curtain rods I shared a few days ago.

Anyone else out there paint curtains or other fabric before? Or seen any other good Ikea curtain hacks? I love Ikea curtains, by the way.

I'm linking this post at Beyond the Picket Fence, The 36th Ave, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Happy Hour, Home Stories A to Z, Not Just a Housewife.

DIY Industrial Curtain Rods

2012-10-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I shared my super cheap DIY curtain rods made from basic supplies from the hardware store. Today I am back to share yet another version. These curtain rods are not quite as inexpensive but they are high on style – at least in my opinion.

I’m a big fan of the industrial look and have been trying to incorporate some industrial touches into the nursery to ‘man’ things up a bit. I love these curtain rods from West Elm.

But it just so happens they are $99. Each.

Not happening.

Luckily, it is not too difficult to get a very similar look for a lot less. Yet again, all you need is some basic equipment from the hardware store. Here is my version which cost $23 each.

For each curtain rod you will need:

1/2 inch Electrical Conduit – $2 for a 10 foot length. (I bought mine at Lowes. They told me again that they do not usually cut conduit in the store but when I asked nicely and said they had done it for me before, they had no problem cutting it to the right length for me. You can also cut it easily yourself with a hacksaw).
2 galvanized floor flanges (1/2 inch) – $7 each
2 galvanized steel pipe nipples (1/2 inch x 2inch) – $4.50 for two
2 galvanized 90 degree elbows (1/2 inch) – $1.25 each

The electrical conduit is with the electrical supplies. The rest of the materials are in the plumbing aisle.

Putting these together is extremely simple. Screw one end of the nipple into the floor flange and the other end into the elbow. Slide the electrical conduit into the other end of the elbow. Screw the floor flange into the wall. Finished.

Perfect industrial vibe.

As you can see, I chose to use grommet curtains in this room. With this type of curtain rod, curtains hung with curtain rings would be much more practical. That way you can easily change the curtains without completely unscrewing the curtain rod. However, I really wanted to use these grommet top curtains and I am stubborn so I went for it. Plus, I’m not exactly planning to change the curtains terribly often.

As for the curtains themselves, I’ll be sharing their awesomeness Wednesday.

And if these curtains rods aren’t cheap enough for you – and I’m so not judging you if they aren’t - check out this version – only $14.50 for three.

I'm linking this post at The 36th Ave, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, Happy Hour, Home Stories A to Z, Not Just a Housewife.

Crushing on blue ceilings

2012-10-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

If you've been around Lovely Etc. long, it should come as no surprise that I am in love with the color blue. Lately I have especially been lusting after gorgeous blue ceilings.

Southerners have been painting their porch ceilings blue for centuries. There are a few opinions as to why this is. Some people claim painting the ceiling tricks pesky bugs like spiders and bees. Others say it is to keep spirits away. Either way, it is beautiful, refreshing, and calming.

I love blue porch ceilings but lately I am really loving blue ceilings in just about any room. Here are a few gorgeous examples that really caught my eye.

Turner Davis Interiors

Decor Pad

Canadian House and Home

Timothy Mather Interior Design

Elements of Style

So pretty and relaxing. I have been toying with the idea of doing this in my living room and dining room. Currently they have light blue walls but I have been thinking about going more neutral with the walls and painting the ceilings blue. Not quite sure yet though – ceiling painting isn’t so fun. And no matter what, its definitely not a project to tackle while pregnant. Which means I still have a couple months to ponder.

Anyone out there do anything fun to their ceilings? Which basically means anything other than leaving them white? I’d love to see ithem f you have!

A few of my favorite things

2012-10-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

I love chatting with friends about the stuff they are really loving – personal recommendations are always the best way to find new awesomeness. So I figured you might appreciate the same thing. And I just happen to have come across some great stuff lately. So here you have it – a few of my (most recent) favorite things.

Very Jane

I’m a sucker for a deal which means I am always checking out those daily deal sites, looking for something awesome. They tend to be pretty hit or miss, but I recently stumbled across veryjane.com and I am in love. It might as well be called Very Carrie because I pretty much adore almost everything they have. They have the cutest, homemade, boutique stuff for women and children at great prices everyday. Here are just a few of their recent deals – pillow covers, monogram necklaces, and cupcake stands. Love them all.

You should definitely check them out – seems like an especially great place to do some Christmas shopping.

Snoogle

My mother-in-law gave me this amazing body pillow last week. I think it must be the most comfortable thing ever - especially now that I am in my third trimester. But I’m thinking I may just keep right on sleeping with this guy even after the baby is born – it is just that amazingly comfortable. (Plus it is also supposed to be extra wonderful if you have back problems.)

Little Hip Squeaks

Little Hip Squeaks is an etsy shop with the cutest baby blankets and hats in fun, modern prints. The colors and fabrics they use are just fabulous.

7

I recently read the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. It is a great book. I am generally not a huge fan of nonfiction – it’s just too much work. I like to read as an escape. But this book was an exception. It is written as a personal account and the writing voice is just so friendly and approachable – it’s like having a conversation with a friend. And it really makes you think about a lot of things you take for granted. I came away questioning why exactly I do a lot of the things I do.

I really want to read this book again – partly because I had to read it in a rush because it was already overdue to be returned to the library. But also because there was just so much good stuff to think about.

So there you go – a few of my favorite things. And no, I was not compensated in any way for promoting this stuff – I just love it. What greatness have you come across lately that you just love?

What I never buy used

2012-10-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

If you’ve been around Lovely Etc. long, you’ve probably realized I love to hunt for hidden treasures at yard sales, thrift stores, even on the side of the road. Aside from the awesome vintage finds I share here on the blog, I get all kinds of awesome stuff at yard sales. Dishes, books, baby supplies, clothes, tools. Pretty close to anything. Once I realized you can get really nice stuff for really cheap, it seemed ridiculous to pay so much more just to say it is brand new.

But I realize not everyone feels the same way I do. Just last week, one of my coworkers mentioned that she would never buy ice trays at a yard sale even though she buys glassware all the time. She wasn’t really sure why – it just weirds her out. Another coworker said she would never wear something used – not even if it was used by her own sister. I wonder what she would say if she knew I’d bought used swimsuits before? (Of course, I washed them before wearing.) This got me thinking – what things would I not buy used. Was there anything?

The list is pretty small (I’m certainly not prissy), but I did manage to think of some things.

Makeup and toiletries –even if they look new, it is just too hard to tell if they have been used. And used makeup spreads germs so easily. It just kind of freaks me out.
Hats – Sadly, I had lice twice in elementary school and I really don’t want to relive it as an adult.
Mattresses – Bed bugs? No thank you.
Paints, glues, sealers, etc. – Anything liquid and chemically tends to degrade over time and become unusable. I once broke this rule to buy Mod Podge at a yard sale for a dime. Mistake – it was yellowed and thick. Luckily, I was only out a dime.
Shoes – usually. I have bought shoes at a yard sale a few times if they looked new and I was able to try them on to make sure they were comfortable. The fact other people’s feet were in them doesn’t really bother me, but once shoes are broken in to someone else’s feet, it isn’t too likely they will also fit me perfectly.
Child’s car seat – car seats aren’t safe to use if they have been in any sort of accident and I just don’t trust strangers to know or be honest about a car seat’s complete history.
Food – there is just something unsavory about buying food out of someone’s front yard. (Yes, I have seen nonperishable food for sale at yard sales). Though, on second thought, I do buy cookies and such from bake sales which is basically the same thing.

That’s my personal list. Mostly based on safety guidelines and personal experience, but like anything it is also based on my own personal opinion.

And you? What would you never buy used? Any of the same things as me? Are there things on my list that you would buy in a heartbeat?

The cheapest DIY curtain rods ever

2012-10-01T05:30:00.000-04:00

Curtains have been hung in the dining room and living room! Progress!

A few weeks ago I shared that I was wanting to hang curtains in the living room and dining room I have been slowly working away at. I was appalled by the price of extra long curtain rods, so I went in search of some inexpensive DIY options and found tons of inspiration.

Using lots of tips from the inspiration I had pinned, I headed to the hardware store. I left with the supplies for 3 curtain rods. (The conduit and straps were found with the electrical supplies, the corner braces were near the cabinet hardware).

Materials

1/2 inch Electrical Conduit – $2 for a 10 foot length
Corner braces – $3 for a pack of 4
1/2 inch One hole straps – $3 for a pack of 25
Nuts and bolts to attach the straps to the braces – $1.50 for a pack of 5

All of the necessary materials for my 3 curtain rods (including one that was extra long) came to $14.50. That is totally amazing in my opinion.

Tip: They will cut the electrical conduit to length for you at the store. But be sure you ask very nicely. When I bought mine, the man told me they do not cut it there…but he cut it as he was speaking. If you would rather just cut it at home, a simple hacksaw should do the job.

I decided to spray paint all of my hardware to get the look I wanted. Be sure to use spray primer first to help the paint adhere. I used spray paint I had on hand – Rustoleum Metallic in the color charcoal.

Attach a strap to each corner bracket using a nut and bolt.

Simply use the screws that came with the corner brackets to attach the hardware to the wall. (You may also need to use anchors depending on what type of walls you have and how heavy your curtains are).

Then attach your curtains or curtain rings to your rod and pop it into the brackets.

I also found another option if you want inexpensive curtain rods but you don’t want to deal with putting the pieces together yourself. In the curtain section at Lowes, they sell individual curtain brackets for around $5 each. If you pair these with electrical conduit you will still save a fair amount of money over store packaged curtain rods, though they won’t be as inexpensive as they are when you gather the pieces yourself.

The curtains I chose to use are bleached Lenda panels from Ikea – again beautiful but frugal at only $20 for two 96 inch panels. I have to make a confession though – I have had these curtains ready to hang in the living room for almost a year. Talk about putting things off.

I did (hopefully) learn my lesson though because when I went to hang them, I found that one set was clearly off. They were extremely wrinkled and nowhere near as long as the others. The two panels that came in the package weren’t even the same length as each other.

Since I had procrastinated so long, returning them was pretty much out of the question. And unfortunately the closest Ikea is three and a half hours away. Luckily, I take a roadtrip there every fall with girlfriends and I discovered the problem right before our annual trip last Saturday. So I was able to pick up a replacement pair easily. And I’m sure that I will find some other use for the wonky pair. If nothing else, they are the perfect candidates to dye and use for fabric.

These curtains are a tab-top style, something I have never been a fan of, but I wasn’t quite ready to take away the tab-top option forever. So I simply folded the tabs behind the curtains and used curtain rings to attach them to the rods.

Even though they are simple white curtains, they make a world of difference as far as softening the room. I also finally added an end table to disguise the modem and router.

The next step is to get some furniture in the dining room. Those curtains are looking mighty lonely.

So what do you you think of these crazy cheap curtain rods? What other super cheap DIY projects have you tried lately? I’d love to see them.

I'm linking this post at Home Stories A to Z, Not Just a Housewife, The 36th Avenue, Beyond the Picket Fence, Simple Home Life.

Pinpointing your Style: Pin down what you love

2012-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I shared that I had come to a startling revelation – I wasn’t actually sure what my decorating style was. I knew I loved vintage stuff and liberal doses of the color blue. But that does not give me much direction when I am ready to finally get a room in my home together.

Which began my quest to figure out my style. (For more on why it even matters what your style is, check out this post).

I must confess I am addicted to Pinterest – and DIY/décor blogs. (And I bet I’m not the only one). This has turned out to be both a blessing and a curse in my search to figure out what I actually love. Pinterest (as well as blogs and magazines) is a great place to find tons of inspiring eye candy. The problem is I tend to get overloaded with all of the awesome ideas. I find myself admiring so many different ideas and spaces, I have a hard time distinguishing between spaces that are really creative and beautiful and rooms that I absolutely love. Because they aren’t the same thing. There are tons of gorgeous spaces out there that just aren't me. I can appreciate lots of different types of spaces – dramatic, soothing, bright and happy, elegant, rustic…but that doesn’t actually mean that I want to live in all of those types of spaces.

Sometimes all of the instant inspiration everywhere you turn can be more confusing that helpful. So I set out to figure out what it is I actually love – instead of what it is I just admire.

Gather inspiration. Start collecting pictures of rooms you are drawn to. You can collect your images on Pinterest or good old-fashioned paper form.
Once you’ve gathered lots of awesome pictures, start weeding through them. Take out any spaces that you ‘like’ or think are ‘creative’ and ‘unique’ but don’t actually love. Only keep the ones you absolutely love. The ones you want to live in – not the ones you just want to admire from afar or show off to guests. The ones you just keep looking at over and over – even if you aren’t sure why.
Look at all of the pictures that made the cut – there probably won’t be that many left if you really cut everything you don’t completely love. First get rid of all of your preconceived notions about what your style is. Now look to see what they have in common.
- Do you see certain colors repeated?
- Certain finishes?
- Furniture arrangements?
- Are the rooms crowded or sparse?
- Are there lots of clean lines or curves and details?
- What kind of feeling do the rooms have? (Not get all flower child, but some rooms feel happy, some feel soothing, some feel moody – the rooms you are drawn to probably have some sort of underlying theme).

As I said from the beginning, this whole series on pinpointing your style began because I realized I needed to do exactly that. (Ok, let's be real - I didn't need to, but I really wanted to). I have a board on Pinterest called Tempting Spaces that is full of spaces and vignettes that I am strongly drawn to for some reason. This is where I immediately went to figure out what exactly it is I love (beyond stuff that's old and blue).

These are some of my most favorite spaces – the ones I would really love to actually live in.

House of Turquoise

Apartment Therapy

House of Turquoise

Kasey Buick

Arte Styling

Perfectly Imperfect

When I look at all of these spaces as a group, these are the things I notice.

Lots of light and open space.
Lots of white and light gray with pops of turquoise and yellow.
Nothing very matchy-matchy.
Rustic wood everywhere – on the floors and the walls.
Fabrics in an eclectic mix of patterns.
Unique art.
Painted furniture.
One of a kind furniture pieces.
Some vintage pieces but not an overall vintage feel.
Fairly simple accessories.
These spaces feel happy, optimistic, welcoming.
They make me think of summer.

Hmm, interesting. I found things I really didn’t expect at all. Like lots of yellow – I’m not sure there is a single yellow thing in my house. And a distinct lack of vintage knick-knacks. And way more neutrals than I expected.

For sure, the most important and most difficult part of this exercise is to really let go of your expectations. Don’t look for what you think you will see – just look with an open mind.

So do you know what your style is - what you really love? What do you think of my inspiration pics - any of them strike you too? And tell the truth, are you totally addicted to Pinterest too?

The search for an inexpensive floor pouf

2012-09-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

I’m not typically one to follow trends – I just like what I like. Which is why I am just now finding myself drawn to some of the cute floor poufs that have been all the rage the past year. (See what I mean – I don’t even know the trendy phrases to describe trends – pretty sure all the rage is so ten years ago).

But now I find myself thinking a floor pouf could be just the thing to pair with my reupholstered glider. They are small and don’t take up a lot of room but can add a lot of fun and personality.

But as always, I want more style for less money. There are some absolutely gorgeous Moroccan style poufs out there – but they are pricey. Some of the really beautiful ones I found were over $400. Yikes.

I’m not one to give up on beautiful style so easily so I’ve rounded up some of the less expensive pouf options availale as well as some DIY versions.

First up, I had to share this aqua leather pouf from Overstock.com. It is pricey at $137 but is by far the best deal I found on a more traditional pouf.

Next up is a great cable knit pouf from World Market for $80. Pretty cute and cozy.

I also completely love this Small World Ottoman from Restoration Hardware. Again, not cheap at $129 but so great.

And then there are some great handmade versions on Etsy. Like this large chevron pouf from Aletafae for $85.

Or this hand stitched leather version by Marauthentics for $96.

Or the very best deal I found – one of these cute printed pouf covers by Willowtreedecor. For just $35 you get the pouf cover and can stuff it yourself when it arrives. They will even let you send in any fabric you like for them to use for your pouf cover.

And of course I figured if sellers on Etsy can make a pouf, maybe I can too. So I had to include some DIY versions as well.

This fantastic Moroccan style pouf was made from an old bridesmaid dress. Find the full tutorial at Bromeliad.

Better Homes and Gardens also has a great tutorial for making your own pouf.

And finally Mushrooms and Gadgets shared another great example of a DIY pouf. This one is more like an ottoman but I love the simple shape and proportions. This definitely looks doable.

So what do you think – which is your favorite? Or would you rather buy a more expensive version? Would you ever try to DIY something like this?

DIY Anthropologie letters

2012-09-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

I’m sure most of us have seen the incredibly fantastic zinc letters you can buy at Anthropologie by now. They are perfection – especially the huge, oversized version. And they have the perfect industrial vibe to add a touch of manliness to the nursery. The only problem - the price. $18 each for the 8 inch tall version, $98 for the oversized 25 inch ones.

I have found many tutorials for easy DIY versions of these letters on Pinterest but I just wasn’t completely sold on the results.

In my opinion there are three things that make the original letters exceptionally great.

The huge size.
The font.
The zinc finish.

Many of the DIY tutorials I found were great at reproducing that beautiful zinc finish. But they all began by using paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby that were much smaller than the Anthropologie letters and in a much less snazzy font.

That may seem like a minor detail but I have come to realize that the things that separate a good DIY project from an amazing one are the little details like the right paint shade or the perfect font.

So I decided to make my own DIY version of Anthropologie’s zinc letters starting from scratch.

After exploring some different font options, I decided my favorite was the same font as the Antro letters.

(Warning: very low tech explanation ahead). Using the program Paint, I copied and pasted the letters I needed from their website and then blew them up to the size I wanted. I printed out all the letters - the larger ones took multiple pieces of paper so I taped those together to make my template. Then I used this simple pencil transfer trick to get the letter template onto my wood.

I started with a piece of 3/4 inch thick birch plywood from Lowes. I went with the birch plywood because the surface is so smooth. I cut the letters out with my little jigsaw.

Sidenote – if you are scared to use a jigsaw, don’t be. This was only my second time using a jigsaw (this was the first) and it went really great. I love having the freedom to cut out any shape I want. If you’ve never used a jigsaw before, you should practice on some scrap wood before beginning a major project. And of course you should take proper safety precautions.

The trickiest part is cutting the little holes out of some of the letters. First, you need to drill a hole to make a starting place for your saw blade. Then slowly cut out small bits until you have cut out the entire section you need.

As you can see, I cut my letters backwards. I found the when cutting plywood with a jigsaw, the underside cuts much more cleanly than the top layer. (I have no idea why this is or if it is just a problem I have because I am a novice - if you know, fill me in please).

After cutting out each letter, fill in any chips with wood filler and sand all of the edges.

Finally, it was time for the faux zinc finish. I had read that a pearl finish paint produces a really great metallic finish. I also had a few different metallic paints on hand so I did a little test run first.

I have to agree – I like the look of the pearl finish most of all so that is what I used.

I started with a base coat of black gesso. (You could use black primer as well but I had gesso on hand already). Then using a chip brush, dry brush two light, uneven coats of the pearl pant. Finally, I mixed a little of the pearl paint with some DecoArt glazing medium and very lightly wiped it on with a rag. You could probably skip this last step but I like how it made the whole thing look a little more unified.

And this is what I ended up with…

I can’t show a picture of the letters on the wall just yet, because I am still finalizing the placement of things in the nursery. But I can’t wait to get these things hung. I know that it is very tough to tell the scale of these letters from this pic but the smaller letters are 8 inches tall and the BIG letters are 18 inches high.

So what do you think? Have you ever tried cutting out your own wood letters? Would you? And if you are a jigsaw genius – do you know how to solve that problem with the top side of the plywood being much rougher than the underside?

I am linking this project at Home Stories A to Z, Not Just a Housewife, Elizabeth & Co., A Diamond in the Stuff, Primp, Domestically Speaking, The 36th Avenue, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Happy Hour, Simple Home Life, Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors.

Dresser adorned with vintage door knobs

2012-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

The last piece of major furniture I needed for the nursery was a dresser to use as the changing table. I knew from the beginning a distressed aqua piece was just the ticket. I started with this sweet little dresser that a generous blog reader passed on to me several months ago.

It was the perfect height and just the right petite size. I removed the hardware, filled in the old hardware holes, and taped off the top before painting the rest with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence. A little distressing with some 150 grit sandpaper was the perfect thing to bring out the dresser’s charm.

And then came the big hardware decision. I went back and forth between several options from my stash in the basement. (The hardware stash managed to survive the big basement purge of 2012). In the end I decided it was finally time to break out my collection of vintage glass doorknobs.

I happened to have six perfect specimens. Upon closer examination, I found that all of my door knobs had a round threaded hole, which made finding hardware to attach them to the dresser much easier. (If you are working with door knobs with the older style square hole, check out this tutorial from Infarrantly Creative on how to make them work).

I hauled my bag full of door knobs to Lowes to figure out what size hardware I needed. I ended up needing several different sizes of bolts. (Vintage hardware doesn’t exactly come in standard sizes). I went with two inch hex bolts in each of the needed diameters.

I measured each drawer to find the correct position for the knob and then drilled a hole for the new hardware. I took care to make each hole very slightly larger than the hex bolt that would be going through it. It needed to be big enough for the bolt to slip through the hole but not so large the knob would be wobbly.

Figuring out exactly where to put the hardware was in itself a bit of a decision. I was torn between lining all of the knobs up in two straight lines or keeping the hardware in the more traditional spots they were in previously. So after attaching the first two knobs, I did a little computer mock-up to see which version looked better.

Even though I did like the symmetry of the straight lines, the proportions just looked off. So I decided to go with the more classic arrangement.

I love how unique the doorknobs make this piece. And, as always, love when a great project comes together without having to buy anything. (Well, I did have to spend $5 on some bolts). For more ideas for repurposing vintage door knobs check out this post.

Have you ever used vintage door knobs as drawer pulls? Or used them anywhere else around the house?

I'm linking this post at Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Mod Vintage Life, Home Stories A to Z, Not Just a Housewife, Primitive and Proper, Elizabeth & Co., Primp, Domestically Speaking, The 36th Avenue, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Miss Mustard Seed, and A Diamond in the Stuff.

Fresh finds–dining room chairs!

2012-09-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

It has been so long since I shared any fresh yard sale finds!

Not because I haven’t been out treasure hunting at yard sales every weekend – because I have. But I’ve been approaching things a little differently lately. Ever since my huge hoard-clearing yard sale, I’ve been really conscious of not bringing home things that I don’t have a specific purpose for. There is no way I want to fill up the house with a bunch of stuff I don’t need again – even if it is awesome.

(And even beyond that, I’ve been thinking a lot about how important ‘stuff’ has become to me. And not in a good way. I haven’t reached any real conclusions yet, but I have been reading the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, which has been giving me lots of food for thought.)

But this weekend, I did find something I definitely have a use for. Finally, some chairs for the empty dining room! I was originally going to use a bunch of mismatched chairs but I was having a really hard time finding anything I liked. So when I saw a sweet set of four of these matching seats, I knew they could be just right.

I got all four for $30. Love these! They are pretty cute as is – but I will definitely be recovering them and probably painting them to make them just right for the room. Now I am on the lookout for a pair of great chairs for the head and foot of the table.

I also picked up this little wooden rocking horse for $2. It’s one of those things that is kind of cute and kind of ugly at the same time. But I like the clean lines and I think with a fresh coat of paint – and possibly without that tail – it could be super cute in the nursery.

As for why I’m still yard saleing faithfully every weekend even though I have greatly cut back on my vintage buying, I have been on the hunt for all things baby. And I have been finding all kinds of fantastic bargains – but I figure most of you don’t really care about the awesome Aden and Anais swaddle blanket I got for 50 cents so I don’t bother sharing all that.

So what would you do with these chairs? I’m thinking maybe a moody blue with a great graphic print. But I also thought a chippy white finish could be a cool contrast to the traditional shape. Thoughts? And be honest – do you think the horse is more on the cute side or the ugly side?

Linking up these finds at Southern Hospitality.

How to reupholster an armchair

2012-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

In case you missed it, I shared a very basic tutorial for ridiculously cheap reupholstery a few days ago. The steps go something like this: 1. Believe in yourself. 2. Be brave and go for it. 3. Don’t give up. 4. Celebrate your success.

Those steps may not be terribly specific, but I assure you they are essential. But for those who are a little more detail oriented, here is a more concrete tutorial.

A brief disclaimer: I realize there are some very good reupholstery tutorials out there already. (And I will certainly be including links to some of my favorites). However, I decided to still write this tutorial because all of the diy chair reupholstery tutorials I found were based on redoing a wingback chair or a dining chair or an antique chair. I really didn’t see any guidance for reupholstering a full on armchair. So I thought, I would let you know how I did it.

A briefer disclaimer: I am no expert. (Which should be clear based on the fact this is the first major chair I have ever reupholstered). These are the basic steps that worked for me. Remember each piece of furniture is unique and will include it’s own challenges.

Stripping your chair

The first step is to get that baby naked. Before you start taking it apart, study your chair for a few minutes. Try to get some idea of how it is put together. And take lots of pictures from all angles to remind you of how it should look in the end.
Begin by removing the rockers or feet of your chair. (One awesome part of my particular chair and most chairs like it is the rockers easily screw off. Which means that in the future if I no longer need or want a huge rocker, I can simply remove the rockers and attach some cute little feet and have a sweet armchair).

Carefully remove the first piece of fabric. For an armchair like mine, this will be a thin layer of fabric on the bottom of the chair. The next layer was the panel of fabric on the chair back, which was easily pried off with a flathead screwdriver. Most of the fabric will be attached by staples or tack strips. To remove them use your screwdriver and needle-nose pliers.
Remove the rest of the chair fabric layer by layer. As you slowly take the chair apart, it will become more apparent which layer you need to remove next.
As you remove each piece of fabric, be careful to keep it intact. And label it. You will be using these fabric pieces as your pattern.
Also keep and label any miscellaneous pieces – tack strips, piping, cardboard pieces. Any random things that come off with the fabric and are a part of how the chair is put together.
As you are taking the chair apart, take lots of pictures of every angle and detail of the chair. Also, take lots of notes of exactly how everything is put together. Both of these can be invaluable when putting your chair back together.

Cutting your fabric

Lay the fabric you removed from the chair out on your new fabric. Once you have arranged your pieces to make the best use of your new fabric, pin them in place and cut your fabric.

Reupholstering

Begin putting your chair back together in reverse order. The last piece you removed should be the first piece you put back. This is where your photos and notes will come in handy.
As you put your new fabric on, take care to put it on just like the pieces you took off. If it was attached with a tack strip, reattach it with the same tack strip. If it was stapled, restaple it. On my particular chair, there were some areas around the arm where the fabric was sewn together. At first I tried to be clever and avoid sewing by stapling it instead, but I quickly realized that completely changed the shape of the arms. So I sucked it up and sewed it back on.
As you can see, I chose to use the same fabric for the piping but you can also choose a contrasting fabric if that is the look you are going for. You could just leave the piping off for simplicity’s sake but it adds so much polish to any project. Piping can be the detail that takes your project from looking homemade to looking professional.

Making the cushion

This was the part of this whole project that I was most afraid of. I can paint and use power tools and all kinds of other things. But sewing still scares me.
The first step of making the cushion is sewing the piping. As I mentioned, don’t leave this off – it really makes the whole project look polished.
I don’t profess to be any kind of expert on cushion making. I am frankly amazed and astounded at how well mine turned out. (I will say, that I closed the back of my cushion with velcro rather than a zipper. I’m not at zipper caliber sewing yet).

Finishing details

I chose to paint my chair rockers a color very similar to my fabric for a more monochromatic look. I considered doing white piping and white rockers for a high-contrast look but decided that just wasn’t right for this particular project.

And there you have it – can’t wait to add a beautiful blanket and a fun little pillow. And if you missed it before, be sure to check out how I got all the fabric for this project for only ten bucks by clicking here.

And if you are looking for more reupholstery info, here are some great resources that I found particularly helpful.

How much fabric you need - Little Green Notebook
Reupholstering a Chair, part 1 – Little Green Notebook
Great tips for sewing piping – Addicted to Decorating
Sewing the cushion – Little Green Notebook

So what do you think – are you going to give it a try? Do you feel totally empowered to make over any and everything? I hope so because I certainly do. And I am really looking forward to redoing those green velvet chairs in my living room next.

Linking this project at Home Stories A to Z, Not Just a Housewife and Primitive and Proper.

Reupholstered Glider (for unbelievably cheap)

2012-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Back at the beginning of the summer, when I started planning the nursery for the future little lovely, one of the first things I decided was that I wanted a big cushy glider. Not the typical exposed wood kind, the huge upholstered armchair kind. You know, like the posh ones at Pottery Barn. The problem was those big cushy gliders cost several hundred dollars. And that wasn’t exactly in the budget.

So I began earnestly stalking Craigslist for such a glider. And quickly realized that they really just don’t turn up on Craigslist often. (At least not in my area). Until one great day when I spotted this upholstered rocking chair listed in a neighboring town for $40. It had a few issues – the color was kind of blah but the bigger problem was a cat had been using the front of the chair as a scratching post.

After a bit of back and forth, I decided to take the plunge and reupholster it. And I am so glad I did.

It is the just right shade of gray. And it is so plush and cozy – by far the most comfy seat in the house.

How to keep reupholstery unbelievably cheap

One of the best parts of the project – I only spent $50 on this entire transformation. Including the $40 cost of the glider. Which means the fabric and materials were only ten bucks.

You may not quite appreciate how amazing that is unless you have ever had to buy 6 yards of upholstery fabric. Let me tell you, it ain’t cheap.

I very seriously considered buying a really fabulous print to recover this chair in, but on further thought, I decided it just wouldn’t be right for this project. Since this is a large upholstered piece, I figured something neutral would be more likely to stand the test of time. Plus, I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a great fabric since this was my first big reupholstery project and I wasn’t 100% sure I could pull it off successfully.

So I found myself needing a fairly durable fabric in a nice neutral color. And lots of it – which meant it couldn’t cost a lot per yard. So I got creative.

Around a year ago, I bought two sets of white sailcloth curtain panels on clearance from Target knowing I would find a good use for them. As I recently shared, I dyed the curtains and was left with yards and yards of beautiful gray fabric. And the best part – since I already had the fabric, all I had to pay for was the dye (around $10). And even if you count the original cost of the curtains, they were only $17 for 4 panels – a steal of a deal – bringing the fabric total to $27. (For other cheap ways to score great fabric, check out this post).

And that is how I was able to come away with this amazing chair for only $50. Woo-hoo!

Here is my abbreviated tutorial for reupholstering a chair. (For those who would like a bit more concrete detail, check out this post or all the step by step instructions).

How to reupholster a chair
(the Cliff Notes version)

Step One. Believe in yourself. If you really want to, you can do this. If I can do it while six months pregnant, you can certainly take it on.

Step Two. Be brave and go for it. The hardest part was getting up the guts to start taking the chair apart. Once you’ve done that, you’re golden.

Step Three. Don’t give up. There may be points where things really don’t seem to be working. Just figure out a way to make it work and keep going.

Step Four. Celebrate your success!

Have you ever reupholstered a major piece of furniture? Have you ever wanted to but been too scared to try? (I've certainly been there). And while we are chatting, what has been your most unbelievably cheap DIY project?

I am linking this project at Primp, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The 36th Avenue, Beyond the Picket Fence, Happy Hour, Simple Home Life, Miss Mustard Seed, Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors.

Bump update–hello third trimester

2012-09-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday! I can’t believe I am almost 28 weeks pregnant and starting my third trimester. I go back and forth between feeling like time is standing still and feeling like it is flying by and I will never be ready. But either way, there is no denying I am growing rounder by the day.

My hubby snapped this pic of me this weekend during a relaxing visit to a nearby state park. I think he did a pretty great job.

My first trimester was pretty rough between feeling exhausted, nauseous, anxious, and depressed. But since then, I have been incredibly lucky and so far things have been smooth sailing.

One of my favorite parts is seeing the reactions of the children at the elementary school where I am a school counselor. They are fascinated by the baby and are constantly asking how he is and what his name will be. They have also made lots of funny comments. One 9 year old told the class to get quiet because they were going to give the baby a headache. A kindergartener asked why my tummy was so big (ah – the honesty of children). When I reminded her I was going to have a baby, the boy next to her said, “But why did you eat a baby?” So many funny little comments but they are all so sweet about him.

And I am very excited to report that progress is being made on the nursery! Yay! When you try to work on a million different projects at the same time, it seems like none of them will every actually get finished. But finally something has. I cannot wait to share my reupholstered glider with you Wednesday.

Until then,

Why you should pinpoint your style

2012-09-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

When I started this blog, I was totally focused on how much I love all things vintage and saving vintage treasures. But whenever I described my style, I felt like I had to give a million explanations of how I love decorating with vintage items but not in a stuffy or junky way and with lots of updated, handmade type items and fresh colors….

And when I sat back and really thought about it, I realized that while I really like vintage stuff, I wouldn’t actually describe my style as vintage. Yikes! Here I was with a DIY blog and no idea what my style actually was – how embarrassing.

(Not to mention vintage isn’t really a style anyway. Cottage, midcentury modern, French provencial, primitive, art deco – those are styles. Vintage just means kind of old – so it pretty much includes a few hundred years of different styles.)

Which put me back at square one – what is my style? But before I can answer that, another question comes to mind - why do I even care what it is?

3 reasons to figure out your decorating style

So that when you come in your front door and look around, you smile and breathe a sigh of happiness because you are truly home.
So that when you are trying to decorate a room in your home, you have a starting point and aren't pulling out your hair in frustration at the overwhelming amount of choices.
So you don’t buy some random thing because it is so cool and an incredible find and you saw it in this totally awesome room on Pinterest. And then you get home and realize you actually hate it.

Okay, so I can definitely see the point of figuring out what it is that you truly love. (Although I’m not yet convinced that it is important to know the technical name of the style you love as long as you know what it looks like). But that still leaves the question – how do you figure out what that actually is?

Stay tuned because I am now on a mission to do just that. I’ve found some really great tips for figuring out what you love and I can’t wait to try them. I’m going to be sharing them over the next few weeks and I hope you will try some of them right along with me. (Plus I am neck deep in lots of awesome projects that I can’t wait to finish up and share.)

So what about you – do you know how to describe your style? Any tips to pass on for how you figured it out?

Updating a retro built-in planter

2012-09-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Our house has a lot of quirks unique to ranch homes from the 60s and 70s. An intercom system that runs throughout the house – with a built-in radio and 8 track player. Faux wood paneling in the family room. And a built in planter separating the dining room from the living room.

I’m not really a retro kind of girl – so the paneling got painted and the planter box found a new purpose. (Not sure what to do about the intercom just yet – not so cute but still kind of cool.)

Around that time, built-in planters dividing rooms were pretty common.

1,2,3,4

A lot of them were brick or stone, but ours is actually made of drywall. It looks a lot like a regular half wall except there is a big metal-lined hole in the top.

When we first moved here, I was stumped as to what to do with it. The obvious choice would be to plant something there. But, one, this spot doesn’t get a lot of sunlight. Two, I wasn’t sure I would love the look of plants sprouting from a random wall. And three, I just can’t seem to keep a plant alive more than a week or two.

So I had to come up with something different. And our little planter wall became our little candle wall.

This planter was about a foot and a half deep so the first thing I did was fill in all that space with some pieces of styrofoam. Once the planter was filled in to about an inch below the top, I cut a scrap piece of black fabric and laid it over top of the foam, tucking in the edges. I bought a bunch of white pillar candles and evenly spaced them down the wall and then filled in all of the space around the candles with decorative black river rock (from Target). The black cloth underneath helped camouflage any spaces the rock didn’t completely cover.

Now, it looks beautiful and fits in with the rest of the house much better. Plus, that little row of candles adds tons of ambiance to nice dinners. And it sure comes in handy when the power goes out.

What funny quirks does your house have? How did you deal with them? Anyone else with a random planter? I am linking up this project at Primp, Not Just a Housewife, and Simple Home Life.

5 fabulous DIY curtain rods

2012-08-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

When I shared my living room and dining room progress a few days ago, I mentioned the need for curtains in those rooms to soften things up. I have actually had some inexpensive white curtains from Ikea for several months just waiting to be hung. Which can’t happen until I have some curtain rods to hang them on.

I am lucky enough to have a nice big bay window in the room. Unfortunately that means I need a nice big curtain rod to go with it. I definitely do not want to block any light in the room which means I need to hang the curtains high and wide so as not to block the actual window. This picture is a great visual of what I mean.

Honey and Fitz

Which means I need a curtain rod that is between 110 and 120 inches long. If you have ever shopped for a curtain rod that long, you know they are insanely expensive. And if you have read this blog much, you have probably gathered than I am diametrically opposed to décor that is insanely expensive. But I am also opposed to décor that is ugly. Which pretty much always adds up to a DIY project.

So I went in search for some awesome DIY curtain rod ideas and blogland surely did not disappoint. Can’t wait to give one or two of these a try.

Industrial Curtain Rod from Plumbing Supplies

Schue Love

“Copper” PVC Curtain Rod

Our Vintage Home Love

Electrical Conduit Curtain Rod

The Tall Chick

Vintage Door Knob Curtain Rod

Megan Brooke Handmade

Wooden Curtains Rods and Brackets

Under the Table and Dreaming

Wow, there is a lot of creativity out there. And I love that all of these curtain rods can be created with items from the hardware store for cheap. Off to Lowes I go!

What about you – ever DIYed a curtain rod? Or just found an amazing deal on one? Which idea is your favorite? I love them all but I am really crushing on that first industrial style version right now.