Peach Street's Blog

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 10

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 01:33:00 +0000

Skel-A-Mingos! I need these in my life...er, yard. I'd never actually use the pink ones but these I love! Love them, too? Click the picture for details on where to find them.

For more 31 Days of Halloween...

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 9

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 01:39:00 +0000

This girl is BOSS at doing makeup! The plus side of this look is that it's completely done without the use of prosthetics making it totally do-able for those of us who aren't aspiring Hollywood makeup artists.

For more 31 Days of Halloween...

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I need 36 hours in a day and 10 day in a week. Pretty please.

I am going to have to start in preparing for the holidays in January if I want to get everything I'd like to make done before the holidays roll around again next year. And these are on my list!

Click on the picture for this 'How to Make Human-Size Ghosts' tutorial from the DIY Network. There are floating ghosts, rising ghosts and even dancing ghosts. I need more time!!

Fore more 31 Days of Halloween...

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:16:00 +0000

I love a good Halloween party and the games are key to a good time. Here are 11 Halloween Party Games from Martha Stewart.com that will make any party spooktacular. Personally, I'm a fan of the hanging donut game! Yum.

For more 31 Days of Halloween...

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 6

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:25:00 +0000

Source
I want to do this to every window in my house. No, not break them! It's contact paper!

Clean your windows before (and after) for a crystal clear shine. Then apply frosted contact paper in jagged shapes, overlapping, to create the appearance of glass thickness. Brilliant, right?!

For more 31 Days of Halloween...

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:09:00 +0000

Source
I saw these adorable Mummy Twinkie Pops on Pinterest and couldn't wait to share them with you. The tutorial for these can be found over on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. I love a treat that's relatively easy but makes a big impression. Not to mention delicious!

For more 31 Days of Halloween....

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:55:00 +0000

{Click for tutorial from PlaidOnline.com}

Grab your favoriate craft store's current coupon and get that apothecary jar! They should also have the Martha Stewart glass paint by Plaid. This is such a cute idea! I'm headed to the Hob Lob tomorrow. Don't fail me now 40% off coupon!

For more 31 Days of Halloween....

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:52:00 +0000

It's great when things are crazy cute AND easy! This cupcake is just that. Use those adorable paper straws and add construction paper feet and you've got instantly adorable witch cupcakes! Click on the picture for more great ideas from Better Homes & Gardens.

For more 31 Days of Halloween...

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 02:38:00 +0000

Source

The next old door I find!! I LOVE this idea! We do not have a party without a photo booth ever since our first photo booth at my son's first birthday party. You can see more examples of my various party photo booths, here.

It always amazes me, given the number of people who claim to hate having their picture taken {me included!}, that everyone seems to really enjoy a fun photo booth. I just ordered a wood floor backdrop from Bubblegum Backdrops and I think it will make a great backdrop for this fortune teller door. Now to find that old door....

For more 31 Days of Halloween...

31 Days of Halloween 2012 ~ Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 02:45:00 +0000

It's my very favorite time of year again and you know what that means - My 3rd annual 31 Days of Halloween!

I know I've been missing around Peach Street these days and I am very sorry about that. I've been anxious to get back over here and begin blogging again and this is the perfect excuse to do so. If you're curious what I've been up to, please see my other blog, Southern Revivals - my furniture refurbishing and home decor blog. Hopefully you'll see that I haven't totally abandoned the blogging world, after all!

Let's get the show on the road, shall we?

Photo by: Antonis Achilleos/Halloween Celebrations

I want to turn every mirror into a spook show after seeing this project on the Woman's Day website but the effect is permanent and I don't think I could afford the therapy my children might need after seeing a ghost in every mirror in the house for years on end. So, I'll be plundering the junk stores for cheap mirrors because this is an awesome must-do project. Click the picture for the tutorial.
Happy 31 Days of Halloween!

Cinco de Scrapo FREE Mickey Mouse Cupcake Toppers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 May 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Did you know there was such a thing as National Scrapbook Day?? I didn't. But there is and it's today!

Now, I don't scrapbook. I've admitted as much. But I love some me digital scrapbooking paper and embellishments to make printables, cards and cupcake toppers - like the Mickey Mouse ones above. I made those using the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software. It comes pre-loaded with lots of different paper designs and embellishments and that's what I used to make these. It is so easy I often opt to use the MMS software instead of photoshop, especially for stuff like this.

And in honor of National Scrapbooking Day I'm sharing these FREE Mickey Mouse 2" cupcake toppers with you. Just click the picture above to download. Of course, you might prefer to get the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software and make your own personanlized versions. Now would be the perfect time!

The folks over at My Memories are doing up National Scrapbooking Day in a big way with their Cinco de Scrapo. All 35 of their designers are giving away a freebie that you can use with your MMS software to create your own personalized scrapbooking pages. Or, if you're like me, some really fun printables. You can hop on the Cinco de Scrapo blog train, here, on the My Memories Blog. They will also be having some fun giveaways, prizes and challenges on their Facebook page. These freebies and giveaways will only be happening this weekend, so don't miss it!

And if you decide you'd like your own My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software to get creative with, you can download it, here. Be sure to copy and paste this code: STMMMS78265 for an extra $10 off! To make it even sweeter, the software is already 15% off - this weekend only!

Happy Cinco de Scrapo!

#Winning! Wednesday - FREE Photobook

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:15:00 +0000

In case you missed it, the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software was featured on Lifetime Television's morning show The Balancing Act. And, because of that, we all get a free photobook. Cool, right?! AND, you can even download a FREE trial version of the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software to create your photobook. Click HERE to get started on your free photobook. If you love the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software, and you will, you can purchase it for $10 off clicking the banner below and entering my discount code: STMMMS78265 at checkout.

Use Code: STMMMS78265

Remember, this software isn't just for scrapbooking! You can make cards, printables, edit photos and much more. Join me each Wednesday for another freebie. I have some more great freebies coming up that you are going to love! See you next Wednesday.

A Sweet Celebration - 1st Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:17:00 +0000

My niece's first birthday was a sweet celebration indeed. With a candy theme and a baby with those cheeks, how could it not be!

My SIL and I had a blast DIYing this party, from the pom poms hanging from the ceiling to the amazing party hats that she created.

We made custom printables to adorn the delicious desserts that the party's theme was centered around.

And aren't these hats amazing? They were created using scrapbook paper, cardboard cutouts sprayed with Krylon's glitter spray paint and tissue paper.

And of course the birthday girl had her very own blinged out version!

She rocked it, no?

You might remember this highchair transformation that I blogged about here, 'A Truly High Chair'. It remains one of my most favorite things I've transformed.

The first time I ever did a photo booth was for my son's first birthday, 'A Carnival 1st Birthday', and I don't think our family could ever have a party without one now.

And by family, I mean the dogs, too.

I hope this has inspired you in some way for your next party. If so, please take a moment and leave me a comment. They are always greatly appreciated!

Happy Monday,

#Winning! Wednesday - Another Fun Freebie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:17:00 +0000

It's #Winning! Wednesday. Do you know what that means? It means I have a freebie to share with you. This one is courtesy of the folks at My Memories and I think this is one of the things that makes them so awesome - You don't even have to have the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software to use it! It's just free. Who even does that?!

BUT, if you did have the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software you could make your own and much, much more. See I told you guys this wasn't just scrapbooking software. And each free download below contains not only the ready to print and assemble bag but also all of the papers and elements that went into making these printable gift bags. The printable creations that can be made from these pieces are limitless!! So, if you're ready to take the plunge (and I mean for less than $30 bucks, why not?) you can do so by clicking the banner below. Be sure to use the code: STMMMS78265 for $10 off.

Use Code: STMMMS78265

The Mad Hatter's Hat Cake I made for the birthday girl

Ok! On to the free stuff!

Since I hosted my giveaway by introducing you all the awesome invitation making abilities (See Post Here) of the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software, I thought what better way to use this freebie than to create a gift bag for the birthday girl. I think it was the perfect way to package a gift for a Mad Tea Party and I love how it turned out!

Soooo do you want your own? Here ya go! Just click on the pic to download the bag of your choice - or download them both!

Just click, download, save, print, then assemble!

Just click, download, save, print, then assemble!

If you enjoyed these freebies leave me a comment letting me know and be sure to join me each #Winning! Wednesday for more. For even more freebies, like My Memories on Facebook for their Friday Freebies.

Hurry! Each freebie is only available for a limited time!

Winner of the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:24:00 +0000

And the winner is......

And this is what she said...

I hope this helps with your photobooks, Mrs. Smith and all of your other creative endevors! She worked extra hard to win by pinning the giveaway and following me like any good stalker would. Thank you Mrs. Smith for your support!

Don't be sad if you didn't win because, really, you're a winner, too! You can get the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software for JUST 29.97! #Winning! But, you MUST click on the banner below to be taken to the magical place where you can get that great deal. And then, you'll need to Use Code: STMMMS78265. You'll be seriously amazed at the power you have at your fingertips for just 29.97 and the possibilities are endless for what you can create.

Use Code: STMMMS78265

And be sure to join me for '#Winning! Wednesdays' because I'll be sharing some awesome freebies that you can download plus project inspiration each week. So, until Wednesday, get your craft on!

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software Review & GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

***COMMENTS ARE CLOSED***

I never win anything.

Well. That's not entirely true. Once, when I was in the 6th grade the Publix by my house was giving away a scooter. As in, with a motor and everything! It was pink with Cherry 7up written on the side because 7up was introducing it's new cherry flavor. And I had to have that scooter.

This was back in the day when they just left stacks of blank entry slips by a cardboard box. So. I went in everyday and grabbed a stack. Filled those suckers out by the hundreds and lo and behold I won that scooter. A couple years later someone stole it out from under our carport. Karma.

But then, the other day, I was contacted by the folks at My Memories to do a review of their digital scrapbooking software and I kinda felt like I had won that scooter all over again. Someone wanted me to review their product AND host a giveaway so one of you could win, too! So exciting.

And then I thought, but what if I don't like it?!

Listen. I am not a scrapbooker. I will never cut, glue, staple, embellish or bind a scrapbook. Ever. I still have one of those large 30 gallon storage bins full of my First Born's pics and memorabilia that I intended to scrapbook. He will be 9 in August. So, you see, I have come to terms with it. And I'm betting, even if you are a scrapbooker, you could make a similar confession.

From the first time I opened the My Memories Suite I didn't have a problem understanding why they call it, an award winning software that's fun and easy to use, because that's exactly what it is.

My Memories Suite is not only easy to learn but they have these wonderful, short and sweet tutorials on their YouTube channel to make it even easier.

Not only can you create an entire scrapbook in a day, you can even have it professionally printed, but you can also create cards, gifts, invites and printables. And what completely blows my mind is that you can turn your work into a video; add voice overs, narration or music and then you can make it DVD OR ipod ready! Crazy right?! And I'm actually pretty excited about the 'Check Album' feature which I wish I'd had when I designed my business cards. Perhaps then I wouldn't have wound up with 500 business cards and 2 car magnets with my email address misspelled. You don't even have to edit your pictures in a separate software in order to crop or remove red-eye - it does it all!

I am amazed at what this crazy cheap digital scrapbooking software can do. Drop shadows, change opacity, editing photos. It can do almost everything a much more expensive program can do and yet it costs only $39.97!!

Let me show you what I mean. I had been commissioned to do a birthday party invite which I would normally do in Photoshop. This time I thought it might be fun to do the invite the way I usually do and then see if I could do something similar with the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking software.

The first image is the 5 x 7 invite I did in Photoshop, the second using the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software. My Photoshop software retails for just under $1,000. The My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software, just 39.97. AND (apart from the rabbit) I did both invites using free downloads from the Free Kits section on the My Memories website. Do you see $960.00 worth of difference between the two? Yeah. Me neither.

So are you like, sign me up already, or what??

Here's how you can WIN a FREE copy of the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software:

*You MUST be a follower of my blog
*You MUST leave a comment on this post. Tell me what you'd like to create when you win!

Giveaway is open to everyone

FOR ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

- Follow PeachStreet on Pinterest AND Pin this post (+2 Addt'l Entries)
- Like Peach Street Boutique on Facebook (+1)
- Follow @PeachStreet on Twitter (+1)
- Like My Memories on Facebook (+1)
- Follow My Memories on Twitter (+1)
- Follow the My Memories Blog (+1)
- Follow MyMemories.com on Pinterest (+1)

LEAVE A SEPERATE COMMENT FOR EACH ADDITIONAL ENTRY

***Winner will be announced Saturday, April 14th. Comments will close Friday evening, April 13th at 11:59 pm.***

And, if you simply can't wait and you want to get started now, click the banner below and use Promo Code: STMMMS78265 and the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software is yours for only $29.97!

Good Luck! And if you have any questions, I'm only an email away!

A Truly 'High' Chair ~ Fit for a Birthday Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:03:00 +0000

Sometimes a plain ole highchair just doesn't do the trick for a special ocassion like a 1st birthday. Especially for a princess!

My SIL had been searching everywhere for a second hand wooden highchair so we could transform it into the perfect birthday seat for her little girl's 1st birthday party like I did for our sweet boy at his Carnival 1st Birthday Party.

Tell to you the truth, we had both envisioned her finding one similar to this one with the spindle back but after weeks and weeks of searching and nothing. We were beginning to think she'd never find. Then a friend who's neighbor was having a yardsale came to the rescue. When I first saw it I thought, what am I going to do with that?

Because the back was solid I was stumped. I knew I couldn't just leave it plain and because, in my mind, I had pictured the spindles. I was totally unprepared.

I started out by painting all of it turquoise and decided I'd add some kind of decoration to the back. And of course just the turqoise was a fun improvement but it made me realize I needed more color. Once I decided the tray needed pink, the rest just feel into place.

From there I added the white polka dots to the tray and I was sold! And knowing the love my SIL has for personalization, I knew just what to do to the back. The chair needed some straps to hold our sweet princess in, so I added those. In hot pink, naturally.

Add to that a fun I <3 Cake banner, some balloons and the awesome party hat her Mommy made and you have the perfect party chair for the perfect little princess!

Stay tuned for party deets from Sophie's Sweet Celebration.
In addition to my art blog, you will also find this post on my DIY/Home Decor blog, SouthernRevivals.BlogSpot.com. Please visit me there for even more projects!

"Momma Likes Pretty Things" - Dresser Turned Lego Storage

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:55:00 +0000

Do you have a love, hate relationship with legos? Because I do. I am tired of stepping on them, worrying the baby will swallow them and seeing them slowly take over every room in my house. But, they're educational and my baby is sure to be a famous engineer as a result of playing with them.

My oldest has his own room. We also have a playroom. Still, somehow, those darn things still wind up migrating to the office and living room, too. They needed a place to go and they needed it fast. And it had to be pretty, 'cause Momma likes pretty things!

I found this beauty in the middle of nowhere. Literally. Like this store was on the corner of a cornfield and another cornfield. Kid you not. I paid $35, which was too much, especially since she didn't even have a back. But she had perfect lines and I really liked her faux-four top drawers.

Pretend I am skinny and have a nice tan, Mkay?

I definitely think she was worth it, don't you?

I took out the bottom four drawers and replaced them with water hyacinth baskets, you know, for legos. Because that just makes sense....right??

I do not understand furniture varnish. Why do they put that awful stuff on top of beautiful wood? Look what was hiding under there!

These are the greatest baskets. $19.99 each at the Hobby Lobby but I used my 40% off coupon on each of them.

A little distressing to keep things interesting....

And she's ready for work!

Would you ever guess there were a billion legos in there?

P.S. You will notice SouthernRevivals.com in each of my dresser pictures. I will soon be moving my DIY/Home Decor stuff over to this new blog and returning this one to my artwork. I hope you'll head on over there and 'follow' if you've been enjoying this series here because you won't see it here much longer!

Linking up to....

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Living Room Reveal ~ What now?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:29:00 +0000

A reveal of any part of my house would not be complete without toys.
Just keeping it real folks.

Ready for the real thing?

Green. Green. And more green. You can see pics of the during here.

You don't miss the green, do you? I know I don't!

A peek of our painted wallpaper hallway - you can find more on that here.

Made a subway art sign for my wall above the couch out of part of a dresser top. Not sure if I want to leave it that high or put it just above the couch on the paneling. I love the paneling so much I hate to cover any of it up but now I'm hard pressed as to what else to put on the wall. And it needs something else. Currently thrifting for some fun end tables and chunky lamps. Maybe that'll fill things in over there a bit.

Christmas art my oldest made years ago. Daddy drew the pics, he painted them. Love those but they come down after Christmas. I'm pretty sure I know what I want to do here. It involves more wood, lighting and a nice chunky picture frame. We'll see.

See. This area really needs....something.

Ever noticed how much nicer everything looks with Christmas decorations. I hate taking them down.

One of these days I am going to tackle that mantle. It needs to be chunkier and a lot less black. Can you paint those metal inserts? We're about to find out!

Definitely going to redo the tile around the fireplace one of these days, too. It's so boring especially now that we jazzed up the walls. I'm thinking some little glass tiles? Also, going to get around to putting in new flooring throughout the whole house. Seeing as the crazy people who built the house put it in all willy, nilly in every direction but the right one. Either way, that tile on the floor...has. to. go.

One of my most favorite things we've ever done, our Pallet Coffee Table

Of course, I would love it even more if I could decorate the lovely wooden tray that graces it but as far as the baby's concerned it is only fit to hold his "Crucks".

And the biggest dilemma of all...what I am going to do with that big empty corner once that amazing tree is gone. I wanted to cry just thinking about it and now, as I sit here typing this and staring into the abyss that once housed that very tree, I am more stumped than ever.

Well, like I said, everything looks nicer with Christmas decorations. But really, there has to be a way to make it all holly, jolly in the meantime. Right?

I'm not sure. But if I ever get it figured out, I'll be sure to let you know. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Linking up to....

New Year - Time to Organize

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000

I am not a clean freak. I love a clean house but I hate to clean one. I am, however, a neat freak. If these people I live with would just put their crap back where it came from I'd be a much happier person!

I already hate cleaning. Is having to tidy up before I can clean up going to make me any more likely to do it? Um, no. But it's hard, especially after Christmas, to find a place for everything and if it doesn't have a place to go, chances are, it'll stay where it's at. And I can't have that. I can't.

Here are some ways I plan to organize in the new year to help us put things back where they belong.

contemporary kitchen design by detroit kitchen and bath Al Williams

I would give a million dollars to be able to put my Kitchen Aid in a cabinet and save my already minuscule counter space.

traditional kitchen design by san francisco interior designer Alisa Hofmann

Yes. Yes. Yes. Why didn't I think of that!

Family Handyman.com

This year, somebody really must do something about the Hell-Hole (aka - The Garage)

VIA

Another one of those, Why didn't I think of that?, moments. A tension rod to hold your stuff. Genius.

The Container Store

FEET - n. Objects used for finding Legos in the dark

Can you identify? Here's the solution. Of course, you have to get those little Lego loving fiends to pick them up for it to work. Good luck with that.

Do your linen closets look like this? Yep. Mine neither.

Let the organizing begin!

My Final Project of 2011 ~ Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:42:00 +0000

(And yes, that's our mattress in the middle of the floor but that's a different story for a different day.)

Green. I'm not really sure how I feel about it in general I just know I couldn't live with it in my house. When we moved here back in 2007 this was the color of our living room, dining room and foyer. And apparently everyone loved it but me. Honestly, that's why I lived with it so long. I thought I must be missing something that everyone else could see.

Can you tell how green it is? It's showing up a little more yellow in this pic than I think it was in real life. But it was definitely a not-so-distant cousin of Granny Smith.

It took me forever to decide what color I wanted to repaint. I wanted to do the foyer, dining room and living room 3 different colors and that's a tough thing to pull off since they are basically one wide open space with only arches and columns for separation. The foyer and dining room were easy. I had no idea what to do for the living room so I just painted it a neutral color what worked well with the other two until I could figure out where to go from there. I still probably didn't get it right but since I love the paint in the dining room and Mr. Peach loves how the foyer came out, I don't see things changing anytime soon.

As far as the living room went, it wasn't so much the paint color as it was those high ceilings that was throwing me off. Where do you put pictures, art, anything! on a wall like that? At it's tallest point our ceilings are 20' tall and anything I hung on the wall got swallowed up by.....wall!

As luck would have it, I was ~~stalking~~ visiting Mandi over at Vintage Revivals when I saw this. And I instantly knew what I had to do.

As soon as we put that first board on the wall, I knew I'd made the right decision - even if the reluctant carpenter had his doubts.

It was the perfect way to divide those ginormous walls with more than just boring paint.

I loved it immediately, as soon as we had the pattern laid out on the wall - which wasn't as easy as I had imagined. I'm an "eyeballer" and apparently one must measure and do lots of mathy stuff for a project like this to work. Thank goodness I live with a Valedictorian and thank goodness he lives with a Creative because, Man!, I am in love!

I wish I could just go ahead and show you the after, especially since we finished this project before Thanksgiving, but there's just too much else to be done. (Which is code for let me pick up all these toys the kids got for Christmas before I take pictures or it will totally spoil the effect!)

But it's amazing so I promise to show it soon. Even if there really are lots of other things I'd like to do in the room, that I'll be lucky to finish before 2013 gets here. Unless you're one of those people who believe we won't still be here in 2013. In which case, I should really, really get back to work!

Happy New Year,

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:10:00 +0000

A Star Wars Themed Big Boy Room

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:01:00 +0000

You'd think after this much practice I'd remember to take proper BEFORE pictures. But no. My child's room wasn't quite this boring before. There were no curtains and it had the same bland taupe paint color as did most of the rest of the house. But it did have a nice red bookshelf which hinted at our good intentions of decorating his room. He informed me earlier this year that he was too old for the Choo Choo bedding he had in his room - I would call it a theme but that would be stretching it. He had a nice train quilt and RxR decorative pillow. That's as close to a theme as it got.

When he told me he was too old for the train theme he also informed me that he'd be needing a Transformers or Star Wars room theme, please. I have nothing against Transformers but I knew it was a phase and if I spent my time on that theme he'd be over it in a month. He's loved Star Wars forever so I figured that might last longer.

The only problem was he'd seen a Transformer Bed in a Bag set at Kmart. I'm not really a Bed in a Bag kinda person, at least not for kids' rooms, for several reasons. Not the least of which is how fast they "outgrow" their love for them. I wanted a room that could have an easily changeable theme without having to remodel every time, still be kid-friendly and look awesome at the same time. That's not such a tall order. Is it?

We started out by painting the top half of the wall in a navy blue - the color is Admirality from Lowes. We added a faux board and batten using lattice strips, crown molding and chair railing all done in a semi-gloss white. Much better already!

Even though he got to see the paint job beforehand, I didn't want him to know what theme he was getting until I was done. I figured it would have more of an impact that way. I also thought it might make the lack of that dreaded (for me, anyway) Transformers Bed in Bag a little easier on the both of us.

I think he was pleased with the results!

I kept the bedding simple, masculine and, I like to think, sophisticated. And I did it without any help from Pottery Barn! Red, blue, white and brown - it can work with any theme. So if he changes his mind it's not a complete do-over!

I made the duvet cover by sewing together two flat sheets from sheet sets I found at both Kmart and TJ Maxx. The red and white polka dot is from Kmart and the blue and white stripe is from TJ Maxx. I cut a third of the polka dot sheet off and reattached it to make the opening for the comforter. Then sewed the two together.

I used the pillow cases from the two sets as pillow shams. Why not?
I also made two envelope style pillow covers out of navy pillow cases and used that blue striped burlapy ribbon stuff - which is technically called upholstery webbing. I love that stuff so much I think I might actually look for excuses to use it.

This accent pillow I got from Kmart matches the Canon Red Dot Floral Comforter Set. When I got it, it had a section of red and white floral fabric where the blue stripe fabric is now. I took the pillow apart, which was more of a pain than I anticipated because there's no pillow insert inside just stuffing, and added the panel of blue stripe fabric instead. I also added the red stripe webbing to the front. Sewed the whole thing back together and re-stuffed. Labor intensive but well worth the effort especially since I'm not a talented enough seamstress to have figured out how to make this pillow all on my own.

He already had lots of Star Wars stuff to decorate with so we just added a few accent pieces.

These lamps we got from Home Dept for $39.99 each. The have these beautiful shades that I just added a bit of ribbon to on top and bottom. They plug in, too, so no wiring is required!

I didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for 11 x 14 frames. I wanted the cheap ones but I wanted them in white. Turns out they don't make cheap white ones, at least not that I could find, so I just got the black ones from Walmart for $5 each and spray painted them. I put a blue textured paper, that I got from Hobby Lobby, into each frame. I cut Star Wars silhouettes using my Silhouette machine and navy vinyl and mounted those onto white pages from my acrylic paint pad. This paper gave the vinyl a nice texture as though it had been painted on instead. Using double sided tape, I affixed the silhouettes to the blue paper inside the frame. They look so nice you can hardly tell they aren't matted. By the way, my Star Wars silhouettes are actually a font that I downloaded from da font.com.

My poor baby finally has curtains!

This little lamp I got from Walmart for $4 forever ago. I am so glad I saved it. I removed the original bell shade and painted the natural pine a true red. The drum shade is from Target. I added his monogram by cutting out the letters with my Silhouette machine and then using it as a stencil. I also added some of the trim that I used for the lamps above his bed.

An image of Boba Fett that I found via Google. I had it matted and then framed in a shadowbox. I didn't realize this until recently but you can totally frame a picture in a shadowbox for a nice chunky frame with just a few easy tweaks. I love the way that looks!

And the rest is mostly stuff he already had.

I couldn't resist this nutcracker from Hobby Lobby. I wanted Boba Fett but they were already sold out by the time I saw these.

This poster, the Science of Star Wars, came with a gift he got for his birthday and I just put it in a picture frame.

A 3-D Star Wars book he got for Christmas last year.

The bubble gum machine he already had but I just had to put red, white and blue gumballs in there. I know. I need help.

Moon in My Room which he already had. And loves. Perfect for a space themed room. Of course, he will only operate it on every phase but full for fear of attracting werewolves.

When he was little, my brother used to have a giant Millennium Falcon that would light up hanging from his ceiling. I can't imagine what something like that would cost these days so I just went with this planetary night light from Lowes. $9.99.....

....And as far as he's concerned, it's out of this world!

As always, if you ever have any questions (or comments) about any of my projects, please feel free to email me or leave me a comment. I'll be sure to reply!

Linking to....

Our Under $100 Closet System - IKEA Hack

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:11:00 +0000

Just before the baby was born last September I was in a panic to get a closet system in his room. (You can read all about that, here.) After that, the baby's closet was the nicest closet in the whole house and sometimes I would go in there, stand in the one room in the house that was organized, and bask in it's glory.

We bought our home as a foreclosure. That meant we had no appliances, no bathroom mirrors and absolutely, completely, empty closets. No rods for hanging, no shelves in the pantry, NADA! (I totally just said "Nada" in James Spader's voice from Pretty in Pink in my head)

That might not seem too overwhelming at first but there are 9 closets in this house and by the time we got done putting in all the appliances we normally take for granted and hanging mirrors so we could see to brush our teeth, the closets seemed really unimportant. Which is a shame because in the end they are so essential in the War on Clutter, especially in our oldest son's room. But we were tired so the only treatment our closets got was two of those triangle brackets that oh-so-handily hold a rod and a shelf at the same time. They are also efficient at taking up so much space that you can't put as many clothes on the rod as you should be to and you can only fit so many of them in a closet at a time. Then, you wind up with this...

Wow. That's actually really embarrassing. Now you know two things: 1) Someone besides the baby needs a closet system and 2) I need to wash clothes.

Here's the thing, the baby's closet system set us back $700. At the time my desperation, and possibly my hormones, clouded my judgement. But this time there was no way I was spending that much - especially since he has two closets.

I'd read some where on the web about someone using EasyClosets.com to design their closet and then using the plan/measurements to do it themselves. Bingo! (Actually, EasyClosets.com is a very affordable option and had we bought the baby's closet system from them we'd have probably saved some money!) But did we really have time for a DIY; to cut every piece of wood, pre-drill every hole and basically start from scratch? The answer is no for alot of reasons. Namely that I have way too many projects I want to do to spend an eternity on two closets and also because we'd probably never finish it. That's when I met Billy...

IKEA

Tall, white and Swedish. The man of my dreams...in terms of a semi-diy closet system. And he's cheap, too. We got four of these, two for each closet. Add some closet rods, some white shelving board and brackets, a small tweak to make Billy a little taller (see below) and you have a closet system for under 100 bucks per closet!

First we added a small mdf panel to the bottoms of each bookshelf to make the notch, already in the back of the bookshelf, fit over our molding.

Phew! Much better! Man, I love Billy!

Stay tuned for the Big Boy Room Makeover these closets go with. Coming Soon!

Quick & Easy Homemade Pumpkin Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:34:00 +0000

I have the greatest from scratch pumpkin pancake recipe. Ever. The problem is I can NEVER find it. Every year the weather gets crisp and cool and I get a hankering for pumpkin pancakes. And every year I cannot remember where I've put it. Today, if I had turned the house upside like I usually have to, I'm sure I would've found it. But since I had a limited amount of time get my pumpkin pancake fix, I decided to explore my options.

I'm glad I did! My from scratch recipes calls for yummy things like spices and melted butter. It is to die for! But who has time for from scratch pancakes every time they want them? This version is the next best thing!

Simple Ingredients

2 eggs
1 c. Milk
1/2 cup cooked pumpkin (or canned pumpkin puree)
1 3/4 c. Bisquick Mix
1 TBSP Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

The Quick & Easy Part

Just mix it all up, pour it onto your griddle and flip when they start to bubble a little.

Supposedly it yeilds 2 1/2 dozen 4" pancakes. I must've made mine a good bit bigger!

Today I am thankful for pumpkins and lazy Saturdays with my family!

NOTE: I always have left over canned pumpkin puree from my Halloween party. I make a yummy pumpkin dip that only uses about half the can of pumpkin. I'm always looking for ways to use up that kind of stuff because I hate to waste. If you find yourself with leftover canned pumpkin puree, you can use it for these pancakes or for Festive Pumpkin Dip - found here.