Noting Grace

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:36:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy in our house lately! Lots of fun projects I'll be posting up soon, but here's a peek at our spooky Halloween decor.

I saw this brilliant idea while out junking. Cover your house lights with old masks. The eyes are illuminated from the light at night! Brilliant!!

Our milk jug ghosts

Another scare light

Our Hillbilly Pumpkin

I think I need to dust

My New Hobby!

2011-08-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

What else to do when you're stuck in bed and that crafty urge hits and there's abso-stinkin'-lutely NOTHING you can do about it??

You learn to knit! I've been begging my Mom to teach me for years, but time and 2000 miles kept us from doing it. During recovery, that was one of my get well gifts I asked from her, as well as taking care of my house, kids, husband, dog, grocery, laundry..... Thank God for my Momma! I wouldn't have made it through those first 2 weeks without her!

She patiently taught me how to knit and she created a knitting fiend! Fiend, I tell ya! I have made some cute scarfs, some thank you gifts I'll show in a later post, and some pillows!

These pillows are so easy! I used the same fabric I used for the Tablecloth pillows as the under lining for the pillow form and knit a pattern to go around them! Easy Peasy!

I found the inspiration for my roll pillow over at GoodKnits.com. She called her pillow the Pickle Pillow. Isn't that cute!?

I made my roll pillow from some leftover mattress topper rolled up and taped together. Then covered with the tablecloth scraps.

Now if I can only keep my four year old's fingers from pulling the stitches!! Ugh!

Mimic Monday - Coffee Tin Vase

2011-08-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here's another installment of my Mimic Monday. I've been seeing twine wrapped vases all over the internet and have been itching to try one of my own.

The Thrifty Crafter wrapped up a beautiful one!

Crafty Chic Mommy added ribbon to the one she created - which I LOVE!

So I thought I'd try my hand at one! Ta-Da!

I wrapped my coffee tin in twine and glued using tacky glue.

Set the finished product on a pretty plate I had tucked away.

Love the little pop of color it gave my countertop. I may have to add some ribbon!!

Yarn Pillow Tute!

2011-08-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

I posted my store pillow embellishments yesterday, and as promised, here's the tute for the Yarn Tree pillow I made.

I outlined the shape I wanted in pencil and stitched just the outline as a border. I find the coffee to be a necessity, but it's optional!

It's a smart idea to put something inside the pillow cover or else it will stick together with the liquid stitch.

Using the liquid stitch as finger paint, I just filled in the tree with loose yarn. I love the yarn for the tree because it looks like the bark. FYI: This is VERY messy, so have a wet wipe nearby!!

Using the same embroidered techniques from my button pillow, I added leaves for the tree.

There you have it! Easy, messy, crafty fun!

Sharing with the other talented gals @
Funky Junk Interiors

Embellishing Store Pillow Covers

2011-08-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

I purchased these tan WASHABLE..(hello...messy boys).. pillow covers and they were plain and Blah!

So I came added some pretty touches to make them more personal.

Love the ruffles! I added T-Shirt ruffles to the plain pillow and added ribbon to the center strip to give it a little more flair. The brown pillow is from the tablecloth pillows I made.

I stitched some T-Shirt remnants to the pillow for leaves and cut pedals for the flower from some felt I had on hand. Embellished with a button for the center of the flower.

This is one of my FAV's!!! It was time consuming, but so worth the effort. When I was a teeny bopper, my grandmother gave me an embroidery kit. I used those techniques to create the leaves and stems. For the flowers, I first glued them to the pillow cover using tacky glue and then followed behind with stitching them.

I will post a tute up tomorrow on how I did this pillow. Just yarn, needle and glue! Uber easy!! And cheapy cheap!

Joining all the other talented gals at Tatertot's and Jello's

Mimic Monday - Ballard's Books

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery!

I'm interested in starting a new series with knock offs and copy cat recreations of other bloggers. Eventually, I'd like to make this into a party, so let me know if you're interested.

Everyone is recreating those awesome antique books that Ballard's is selling.

I went to my local Goodwill and found such AWESOME books.

Total cost was $2.25!!

I absolutely LOVED the old inscriptions left from the previous owners from the 40's!

This is so easy to recreate. Just tear off the old covers...gently. Wrap in twine and Ta-Da!

I added a little embellishment for my own personal touch.

Now it sits on my shelves, looking pretty!

What are your thoughts about Mimic Monday?

Shared with all the other talented gals @

Funky Junk Interiors'

Better Pics of my Wall Plaque

2011-08-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

I was looking at my plaque pics and wanted to show it off a little bit better, so here are some new pics.

I'm so unhappy with my little point and shoot.

*Dear Camera Fairy,

Please bring me an affordable Digital SLR camera!

Love, Jen*

Tablecloth Pillows

2011-08-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

While I'm sitting down to blog, I'm listening to the soundtrack of Star Wars while my younglings are turning my living room into a studio set.

They are recreating each episode.

The boys say the living room is the BEST place to set it all up!

aaanyhooo.....

My pillows needed a do over, so I rummaged through my fabric scraps and found a stained tablecloth that we weren't using anymore. With two messy boys, the tablecloth fabric is very durable for what messes they make.

I stitched a bird onto one pillow and used embroidery thread for it's legs.

Using an old tshirt, I made ruffles and sewed those onto the tablecloth. Adding some extra ribbon I had around added just the right touch.

I have a few more to do and will be posting those up soon!

Repainting a wall plaque

2011-07-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

My boys gave me this beautiful iron plate plaque for Chrismas this last year. It worked perfectly with my old color scheme, but now...not so much! Not wanting to completely change the gift they picked out for me, I only changed the colors that conflicted with my new scheme.

Here is what the plaque looked like before

And here is the after

I got out my craft paints and did trial and error until it looked just so getting rid of the reds and oranges. I'm pleased with the finished results and the boys like to new colors!

Linking Up To:

Between Naps on the Porch

The DIY ShowOff

Putting my blues into action

2011-07-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

During my absence, I spent a lot of time browsing pinterest and creating olioboards. (BTW- here's my pinterest page - follow me and I will follow back. It's the new crack!)

When we first moved into our home 2 years ago, I really wanted to change up our color scheme, but had to use what we had in order to save some moolah! So, I started creating my dream room on olioboard, using my colors I always wanted to! It was so much fun!!

Here's my board!

On an outing one day to Lowes, my husband and I found this rug for $98 bucks y'all! All the other rugs I had been eyeballing were at least $300, so I totally scored! It may not have been the rug I would have chosen, but it quickly became my fav for that price!

Here's the rug

Now, I'm all giddy again! Think of all the things I can do to eliminate those touches of gold and red. Time to get out the craft paint!
Woot!

Where I've been the Past Four Months

2011-07-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, waaay back in *eek* March, this year has been devoted to my health and some major foot issues I was having.

First off, thank you to everyone who has sent me the well wishes! This has been a trying year, but here is my new motto:

Even though I follow the zero weight bearing to a 'T', it produced ZERO results and I had to have surgery anyway. So what have I done to occupy my time?

There was a lot of this

(gotta love Face In Hole)

Oddly enough, we NEVER took a picture of me on my knee walker! This is the best invention ever! A must for someone needing crutches with younglings as busy as mine! Oh, and if you do use one of these- be sure to look cute 'cuz ya get a lot of attention.

And YES, I resorted to those rascal's in the grocery stores. With each beep, beep, beep of that blasted thing, my pride slowly eroded away! *sigh*

Once surgery happened, there was mostly this

And then this

And now I'm back to this

My westie Besties threw a 'Boot Bling' party for me so that I could be stylin'!

I became addicted to my Mother's Day gift

And then was addicted to these things

My heart ached for crafty things to give grace to, but it was physically too difficult which led me down the path to Blue Funk Land, so I had to steer clear of the garage sales and thrift stores for my own sanity.

I'm not out of the woods yet and have quite the long road ahead, but I did learn a few new things I'm dying to show!!!! I will be posting more up soon. Glad to be reentering the blogosphere! It's been too long, and I've missed ya!

2011-03-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I went to see my Podiatrist for some massive ankle issues I've been having. I just received my report from the Doc, and it's really bad news!! You can read all about it here, in my other blog. I was spiraling into a bad funk and I thought I'd try to add some fun into this bad circumstance.

So I'm ordered to crutches for the next 6 weeks, possibly longer. I had an awesome friend loan me some of her crutches, but I stumbled upon a second pair at Goodwill for $2.50! I'm not even a few days into this, and my pits and hands are killing me, so I thought I would add some padding. That got me to thinking.... if I'm going to be on these for the long haul - might as well bling them up a bit!

So, I went thru my scraps and covered the extra padding. I apologize for the horrible pics! The camera did not like the shiny silver crutches! I had left over jeans and some fringe trim.

The fringe sways just right on the bottom and looks so cute!!

Trying to maneuver getting in and out of the car with a purse was a nightmare, so I found a small bag from the store and added that to hold my essentials.

My upstairs crutches are my friends, so I didn't want to do anything to them so they can be returned in the shape given to me. I found a felt blanket in the dollar bin at Target and just tied the ends together to cover the padding.

This is my next project! I purchased this knee walker to help me zoom around downstairs. I have to admit - it is SO fun and a total lifesaver! I highly recommend it and will be looking for another one to use outside the home. I'm thinking of blinging that up too - maybe a bicycle bell, some tassles, maybe some flowers on the front basket? Too much??

My Two Dollar Treasure!

2011-02-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

I found this beauty at a garage sale and had to show it off!

The seller told me it came from an old farm house. It looked like it held letters or keys. I fell in love with the detailing. When she told me the price, I jumped!

I left it as is - no touch ups. I LOVE the worn edges!

Now it sits prettily by my front door - it's the little things that make me happy.

Linking to:

Living Room Re-Vamp

2011-02-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

One thing you'll learn about me is that I love to rearrange my furniture. Again, and again! My living room has been moved around about 6 times in the past 2 years. Hopefully, I've found something that fits. (Who am I kidding? I'm sure something will be moved!)

This was how it looked before. I placed the couch facing into the room in my feeble attempt to create an entry way. I didn't like the feel of the room when you opened the front door.

The long wall had this little table and mirror.

And the opposite wall had the shutters.

It was okay, but not quite perfect.

So I moved things around, but it still seemed dark. I loved the cozy color, but all the dark items and lack of 'pop' left me feeling dull instead of cozy. So, I found an awesome Pottery Barn slipcover on sale for that dark sofa and it really brightened the room!

Much, much better. I added the dropcloth pillows I made to tie in the curtains and found a cute pillow sham on clearance for the large center bolster pillow. The table seems more fitting and you can notice the brightening of the bookcase that I showed you in an earlier post.

I kept the shoe cubbies green and added some more touches to tie it in better.

I shifted the shutters to the opposite wall which serves a better purpose filling up that long empty wall. (I'm thinking of moving that table, though)

I'm still tweaking the dining room. I moved the former entry table and mirror over to this wall. I'm hoping to hang shelves or plates on either side of the mirror.

My husband finally helped me lower the chandelier which hadn't been done in the 2 years we've been here! The chandelier now reflects in the mirror behind, brightening the room more.

A few more ideas I have are a cute chandy over the couch. Maybe painting the shutters. I've found a new chair for the room that I'll be painting soon. Eventually crown moulding. Of course the dining room... Does the list ever end?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!! Any suggestions?

And the Award Goes to....

2011-02-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

Me! Woot! Woot!

Joy over at Thrifty Parsonage Living included me in her list of seven for the Stylish Blogger Award! I am so honored... Especially to be recognized by someone so talented as she. Check out her blog - it rawks! Thank you, Joy!

So here's the deets: I have to list seven things about myself. I've done this before when I received a Kreative Blogger Award, so I'm thinking of different things.

1. I'm a professional vocalist, by trade, and my everyday job is recording in our home studio.

2. I am a highly emotional person, but that kinda goes hand in hand with question #1!

3. My favorite TV show is "The Andy Griffith Show" and my husband and I fall asleep (aka drown out his snoring) to a show every night. We've been doing that for about 5 years now. I also HATED the show growing up...

4. I come across as self confident, but actually am really critical of myself.

5. I'm a clutz and am wearing a boot for the third time in my life - all for different problems!

6. I was hit by a car when I was 9 years old... see #6. But thanks to gymnastics, my injuries were minimal since I was conditioned to 'tumbling.'

7. I love coffee and can't imagine a day without at least 1, okay maybe 2 or 3, cups!

Now I have the privilege to pass this distinction onto 7 other wonderful bloggers. Please check them all out because they inspire me all the time!

April's Doorway
A Place For Us
Home for Hire
All Things Erika
Lifey as a DIY Wifey
West Furniture Revival
'Burb Tales

So the rules of this award are to:

Thank the person who awarded you and link back to them in your post.
Share seven things about yourself
Award seven recently discovered new blogs.
Let them know they've received the award and spread the love!

Everyone Needs a Laugh

2011-02-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

One of our incredibly funny friends has created a website you should check out. He, basically, has sifted thru the junk out there on the web and has found the cream of the crop.

His website is called Boredish and it's a definite to check out!

Here is his most recent post and left me laughing so hard I cried!

Brightening my Bookcase

2011-02-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

Since I painted the Living Room, it still seemed dark to me...especially my bookcase.

Dark walls, dark couch, dark accessories...I wanted to see a POP of white. There are touches here and there, but not quite.

Out came the craft paint and transformed this...
(from my grandmother's estate - had to use them!!)

And this...

Into this...

And this...

I finally got that Pop!!

I turned the books around and added the sheet music vase. It brightened up that dark room so much and was super easy to do!

Sharing with

Rolled Sheet Music

2011-02-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

What singer doesn't have the 24 Italian Songs and Arias?

I have about 3 of these books, so I didn't mind using them for this project.

I ripped out the pages making sure to leave some of the binding attached.

I rolled them up and tied twine around each sheet.

Love it!

One of my besties had a garage sale and I bought a vase from her. I spray painted it white and added touches of cream to make it look weathered.

Ta-Da! Love how it turned out and it makes my dark bookcase pop with the touches of white.

I've been revamping my Living Room the past week or so. It seemed really dark to me and I wanted to brighten it up. Over the next few days, I'll show you what I've come up with!

Sharing with:

Painted side table

2011-02-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Last fall, I came across this cute little side table someone tried to paint and stole it from them for about $5.

I finished their job and LOVE how it turned out!

Since the base coat was black, I was able to distress the table very easily!

I love how the table looks worn and used as if it had been in someone's home for years.

The drawer front is my favorite. I needed to fill that space next to my couch and love how it perfectly fits.

It's just the right spot for a cup of coffee while I'm curled up reading on the sofa!

Sharing with these beautiful ladies!

Domestically Speaking

The Thrifty Home

Blue Cricket Design

A year in Review

2011-01-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that this Sunday will be my 1 year Blogger Anniversary! Looking back, here are some of my favorite posts of my first year.

When I found a Dining Room Table to refinish - I was completely stoked! It was a HUGE project, and a longer undertaking... but one I am very proud of.

My next favorite project was the Cabinet Door I made into a family sign.

And lastly, the Paper Wreath I made is another joy!

I'd love to hear some of your favorites! I know there was such a huge gap in my posts this past year, mostly due to finances and lack thereof which then gave my creativity a lack thereof! Most of the time, creating pulls me out "The Rut," but this time not so much! Loads of ideas, but none accomplished. So on to resolutions.... (I know I'm late to the party, but cut me some slack - I've been sick!)

When I went back and looked at my blog over the first few months, I felt that excitement again and want to contribute more - so that's my first resolution. Be a better blogger.

My second is the typical self changes, so lets get the outside done first. Back on track with my weight, diet and exercise - which you can follow at my Can't Weight Any Longer blog. I just want to be in charge of my body, instead of feeling like it runs me! Better skin regimen, keeping up with Dr. appts - the whole shebang! I found myself telling a dear friend the other day the importance of investing in yourself because if the bank account of YOU is constantly being depleted without any deposits - what will be left to give? It dawned on me that I don't do that for myself enough - which I'm sure resonates with most of the Moms out there.

And finally is the important changes to the self. Counting blessings and recognizing the good around instead of harping on the negative. I'm a glass half full kinda gal, but that performer in me rises up and I can woefully dramatize any situation like the rest of them (raises hand to forehead). I would like to start a gratitude journal, to read more, to pray more and mostly praise more!

So to start, I'm grateful for those of you who subscribe to and read my little ole blog. You're comments and compliments are so encouraging and at times edifying. Thank you so much!

Antique Wash Basin Table

2010-11-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

Ah... look at this beauty! I'm really not sure if it's a true antique, but I think that's the idea they were going for - aside from the folksy painting. Got her for $10 at a garage sale. I think I'm officially the 10 buck queen since that sums up most of my deals.

The person who painted this piece did a beautiful job, but it wasn't my style, so after a light sanding, some creamy paint and more sanding, here's the finished product. TA-DA!!!

I sanded the edges to add distressing. I so LOVE this table! The lamp is a another redo I'll be posting in a day or so.

I added a rub on decal I found in the clearance bin at Michael's.

Such an easy redo and I adore how it turned out!

What Five Bucks can get ya

2010-10-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood had a garage sale a few weeks ago and I scored some awesome deals!! Everyone kept passing by this broken desk thinking trash - all I saw was treasure!!! I'm kicking myself for not taking a before picture. Two legs were broken and the letter sorter insert was unglued. A trip to Lowe's for some new legs and glue and TA-DA!

How could someone pass up this beauty??

I painted the legs black and attached them.

Added accent black on the drawer front....

... and inside trim.

Now I have to decide on the chair. I have a black stool that I can cut the legs to fit.

Or a Ballard's-esque chair that I purchased for $15 on clearance. I would just spray paint it black.

Any suggestions?

Linking to:

Domestically Speaking Power of Paint Party

Somewhat Simple's Strut Your Stuff

Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursdays

Beyond the Picket Fence's Under $100 Linky Party

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Halloweeny Entry

2010-10-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

My boys (the Hunk included) LOVE Halloween, so I made a few things for our front door. The Boo Pumpkin topiary is my favorite, but I didn't take pics of the toot for ya! Basically drilled holes in the pumpkins, stuffed them with Christmas lights and put each pumpkin on a stake.

LOVE IT!!

For the wreath, I was sure to take pictures. I took an old black T Shirt and cut it into strips and spray painted a vine wreath from the Dollar Store black.

I then tied the strips around the wreath until it was completely covered.

The look is very 'spidery.'

I glued a metal EEK sign in the center.

and TA-DA!!

I'll post pics of the whole house soon! Such a fun holiday!

To Honor My Father

2010-06-20T11:49:00.001-07:00

This picture slideshow created with Smilebox

**Noting Grace**