The Kelton's Cozy Cottage

Book Bundles

2012-02-04T11:10:00.000-06:00

I have had a few people ask me about cheap display items for shelves. I LOVE to go thrifting for display items on the cheap. One of the cheapest and chicest things I can think or are book bundles. These are uber popular right now.

Pottery Barn sells these little bundles for like $25 a piece I think.

Restoration Hardware sells these for $49 a piece and they have been sold out! Crazy, right! I hope none of my readers actually bought these, because they are sooo easy to make yourself.

I have some books that I am no longer reading anymore and my librarian mother in law would kill me for doing this for the sake of decor! Yes, I tore off the spines of my old high school pleasure reading books!

You can also go to a thrift store, antique mall, goodwill and get the cheapest books for like .25- 1.00 and recreate this same look.

I have a big roll of hemp that I like to tie them off with. Some look cute with ribbon. I am all about using what you have! Happy Bundling!

All Natural All Purpose Kitchen Cleaner

2012-02-02T21:33:00.000-06:00

I am all about being green while saving some green! hehe! As I am running out of my kitchen cleaner, I decided it was the perfect time to make my own.

Before we move on to the simple instructions with household products-can we talk about the junk that is in our cleaners! ummm hello- I prepare food on that countertop!

These products contain harsh chemicals that harm the quality of the air in your homes, plus they are on your hands, and can even seep into your food, YUCK!

Many of these have been connected to health problems, and as the cleaners and chemicals are eliminate from ones lives, so too are the health problems!
Take one bottle, read the ingredients and google them, I guarantee you will be freaked out!

So what do we do about it- make out own!

I decided it is wasteful to just get rid of the scary cleaning chemicals all at once and replace with natural homemade ones! Wasteful on the wallet too! so I have been slowly adding them in as I begin to run out of items!

For those of you that think this is crazy, it really isn't! It is so simple and they all clean really well! PLUS, it saves you money, and who doesn't want to save a little money.

All-Purpose Cleaner

Using funnel, put 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon dish soap, and 2 tablespoons vinegar into your spray bottle. Give it a stir/shake. Let it sit for a minute, now fill bottle with warm water and shake it up. Give it a few more minutes to calm down, and add a few drops of essential oil if you have them. This really just makes it smeel nice like the Meyer and other natural products out there, but is totally not necessary to cleaning. If you happen to have them, throw it in there, if not, save your money.

I use the clear spray cleaning bottles that you can get from any major store. They seem to work well and I sharpie them on the outside. One of these days I will make my own cute little labels, but for now, the sharpie does the job!

I borrowed the picture and recipe from apartmenttherapy.com
This is a great site for green cleaning recipes plus a lot more.

At Home All Natural Facial Cleaners!

2012-01-22T11:27:00.002-06:00

Did you know that Americans spend about eight billion dollars a year on cosmetics? Crazy, right?

Well, my days of waking up fresh faced and looking fabulous are gone. I need some help now a days! What a better way to reguvinate your skin than made at home products?!

Ok, this one kind of cracks me up but I had to try it. I am calling it

A Shot of Astringent.

2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons vodka and 1 teaspoon distilled water.

So simple, right?

The next one is kind of a mask and even more simple!

Mix a little greek yogurt, honey and apply it to your skin! The lactic acid in the yogurt and the anti microbials in the honey help rid of old skin and unclog pores. The honey is also really good for mild skin irritations and reducing redness!

A nice tightening mask recipe I found is just two egg whites and a squirt of lemon juice. Whisk until eggs are a little frothy. Apply to your face. The protien in the eggs whites is great for firming of the skin.

You know you want to give this a try. Let me know what you think or share your own homemdae facial cleaners recipe with us!

2012, Here I come!

2012-01-20T12:53:00.003-06:00

As the month of January is quickly passing, I have decided for the first time I am going to make a few New Year's Resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I have always set both short and long term goals for myself. This is sometihng my father had me doing at a young age. But actually writting out New Years Resolutions...I can't say I have ever done it!

1. Blog More. I have had a good excuse for the lack of blogging(She has 10 fingers, 10 toes and is pretty stinkin cute)! I have still been getting projects completed, but I just couldn't find the time to take photos and share them with you all. Here is to making the time.

2.Learning to Coupon. With sites and tv shows dedicated to couponing, there is no excuse for me NOT to coupon.

3.Manual use of my Nikon. I LOVE this camera but I feel I am holding it back by only using it in auto.

4. Get more organized. I feel like my closets, cabinets and garage could use a little organizing. I have unfinished projects everywhere and now TOYS and tiny socks have taken over my house.

5.Make baby clothes! I have done handpainted onesies and hand appliques, but I want to do dresses, bubbles and shorts for this summer.

6. Go green! I know, I know. This can be overwheling, but I am a big believer in every little bit helps. PLUs it saves money in the long run. I no longer use napkins or paper towles. I do save the occasional fast food napkins and use them-it is just so wasetful to throw them away. I use cloth napkins or hand towels. This took my husnad some getting use to, but I love it.

7. Make cleaning supplies. I have dabbled in this before, but never stuck with it. I want to make bathroom cleaner, countertop cleaner, toilet cleaner-everything! Have you read the ingrediants on the back of cleaning supplies? YUCK! So many chemicals that I do not want going into my body, but certainly not into my curious little ones body!

8. Spruce up my yard. We had so much that needed to be done to this house(understatement) that our yard was put on the back burner. I did plant a few shrubs, but nothing fancy. I want window boxes, flowers, something with a little life!

9. I want to start back gardening. I have my herbs every year and a couple of tomatos plants, but sadly that is it. In our other house, we built a raised bed, brought in good dirt and I had ocra, all kinds of peppers, varieties of tomatoes....I grew up with a garden and I want my little one to know how to pick beans and snap them.

10. Turn my passion into money, honey! I love to renovate, create, paint and share it with others. So how cool would it be to actually make money doing it?!?

That is a tall order but I am hoping to start chipping away at it.

So 2012, look out here I come!

Fool Proof Mantel Decor

2011-07-22T14:56:00.000-05:00

So, I change my mantel decor ALL the time. But I have a few basics I tend to go by when decorating it. It is sort of a guide that helps. I actually saw it in a magazie a while back and whenever I follow it, my mantel looks fab.

1. Choose something large for the main focus and center it above the mantle. A large mirror, painting or picture works well.

2. Next you layer in a smaller piece of art or photography in front of the mirror. I choose a vintage linen that I framed. ( I love cheap DIY art projects ;)

3. To the left of the smaller picture, place something with a little height. I typically use candle holders here, they add heighy, warmth and really ancor everything else going on.

4.on the right side of the main center piece-add something with height,movement and wimsy. For this, I love branches, flowers, leaves-any old stick from the yard in a pretty vase, glass or jar will do!

5. Then you can add items that sort of "finish it off." Books and boxes are great. I added a small group of old books of poems, topped off with a porcalin flower candles holder.

My last bit of advise is to step back and look as you place the items and adjust as needed.

After stepping back and looking-I had one more candle holder and decided the right side needed it.

I swear this is fool proof! Happy deocorating!

French Knot Throw Pillows

2011-07-08T09:35:00.003-05:00

French Knot Project

I have been wanting to try my hand at this for some time. I have seen some pretty cool french knot projects out there.

I decided to start simple and cheap. I am using a pottery barn pillow I am currently not using anywhere and some yarn and had left over from another project. I did purchase a set of needlepoint needles from good old walmart. You will need the largest one for this project.

I pencil out my pattern on the pillow and then start french knotting away.

Start by threading the needle and knotting it off at the bottom.

Tie a knot

Pull the needle back through the knot

then move on the the next!

This is really quick and easy. I think this gives a simple pillow such great impact.

This project was so simple I think I sew a few more french knot projects in my future.

I am eager to try new patterns. I highly recommend giving this a shot-don't be scared-it's sooo easy!

Kids Room Art

2011-07-07T18:37:00.000-05:00

So I promised myself this was not going to turn into a baby blog-but it is currently not much of a blog at all. All of my time has been occupied by this little cuttie!

Come on, admit it, she is pretty stinkin cute!

Well, I am making a promise not to turn this into a baby blog, however, there may be a few baby/house projects that make it on here...

Which bring us to this post.

Kids room art!

I love looking up fun and fab kids room art. Etsy is a great source for this. The following are a few of my favs.

This little guy is made with tissue paper

What a great idea!

I think these turtles would be a-dor-a-ble in a little boys room.

This is a simple painted canvas with scrapbook paper flowers!

And this is where my inspiration came from. I LOVE owls! I thought it would be something cute in my little ones room that could grow with her.

And here is my take.

Cute, huh!

I started by painting the canvas with an all over color. I then made is a little more fun by bringing in a few others colors and through the use of water-made it look drippy. After painting a little limb-I simply glue on the scrapbook paper owl!

Working with a small bathroom

2011-04-29T21:48:00.002-05:00

Wel hello world, remember me? I think I am starting to get the mommy thing down and I am now getting back to blogging and handy house projects. I am working on my bathroom this weekend and will be posting pictures a little later. Let's talk about working in small bathrooms.

Working in any small space it is about tricking the eye, and a bathroom is no different!

1- Raise the bar!

Perhaps the cheapest and easiest thing to do, is raise your shower curtain. You can opt to buy extra long shower curtains-but I didn't want to spend the extra money. I simply used our existing shower curtain and added a little extra somethin-somethin to the top(will post later). Another fab option is burlap! Gotta love some burlap! Super cute, cheap and you do not even have to sew -simply use fabric glue to add a trim.

2-Simplify

I think simplicity is good in general-but it is especially important in small spaces. It is important to de clutter the room. Clutter does nothing but make the space feel even smaller. Step back and look at it and see if you can do with out something. For more personal items, sotre them in baskets, or hidden away in drawers. This is a bathroom and yes we may all have many of the same personal items, but that doesn't mean we want to see them!

3-Color

Contrary to what you may think-you do not HAVE to do a light color in a small room. I however, prefer it! But then again, my whole house has a pretty light color pallet. I think soft, soothing colors are the way to go in a bathroom anyway, but it can also help give the illusion of more space. You can always add color and interst to the room with hand towels, curtains and small accessories-that can be easily changed out.

I love the airy feel blue bring to this room.

And what a serene green!

4- Lighten Up!

Change out an outdated light fixture and simply open the blinds. For all you peeping tom's, I typically keep my shades open during the day. I love the natural light in the room and it is the best light for make up applications anyway!

5- Mirrors

Mirrors are actually another great way to add light into the room. A mirror can bounce around the exsisting light in your space. If you have a mirror that is glued to your wall-please replace it with a mirror with a little more interest-or at least frame it out. You can easily frame a mirror that is glued to the wall with inexpensive materials from your home improvement store. Have a large cheap mirror, layers mirrors for an interesting, more unique look!

Simply Sweet Sample Sale

2010-12-10T09:10:00.001-06:00

A sweet talented friend is having a sample sale on a few of her christmas items. Check out her blog below for some great items. I have a couple of her infant gowns and they are so cute and cuddly-I can't wait for baby Kelton to make an appearance in them!

http://www.thesimplysweetbakery.com/2010/12/simply-sweet-shop-and-sale.html?spref=fb

Neutral Nursery

2010-11-26T10:37:00.000-06:00

We finally got a camera(thanks mom for the early Christmas gift)....so here is Baby Kelton's nursery!

We got an old armoire,pianted it white and added new hardware. I have saved this old window for a couple of years and wanted to use it somewhere...it finally found a home in the nursery. I just love the way it turned out.

I really wanted a little something on the wall by the bed, but didn't want anything hanging over the bed...

so I came up with the idea of the tree and once I was brave enough I took a paint brush to the wall! I just used the NO VOC Mythic trim paint for the tree and the left over Mythic paint from two other rooms for the green and blue leaves. If this is something you have been wanting to do-go for it-you can always paint over it if it doesn't turn out as you had hoped!

I had beautiful oatmeal colored linen bedding made and I am so pleased with it.

Etsy is a great source for good prices on custom made bedding.

If you do not see exactly what you want-show them other pictures or give them measurements to help them create the exact look you are going for. For example, I loved this bedding, but wanted really large ties to create this droopy bow look.

The little changing table I painted a while back-it is now filled with clean baby clothes and diapers!

I have been packing for the hospital which is why there is "stuff" all over the top of the changing table.

I better get that bag ready...just two more weeks!

Since the room was so neutral, I choose a blue silk curtain and brought in color with a few self made art projects. Who says blue has to be JUST for boys?!? I think the touches of blue and green throughout create a nice neutral, organic feel to the room and I could not be more happy with it!

Creating a Homemade Baby Mobiles

2010-10-27T13:19:00.000-05:00

I have been looking for a good mobile for the nursery and in the process came across many beautiful homemade baby mobiles. After looking closely at them, I decided " Hey, I can do that!" I am SOOo one of those people. I see something and will check it out closely and attempt to make it myself. Many of the attempts are not sucessful, but then others turn out even better!

Here are some of the mobile ideas I am currently toying with....

The butterfly mobile is the most simple. I could just use scraps of colorful fabric and hang at varied lengths. I think this is a great way to add a touch of color to the room.

The owl is actually a Christmas ornament-but isn't he so cute! I think I could make several of these little guys and it would make a super cute mobile. There is a templete for this owl that can be found here: http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2009/12/131-give-a-hoot-for-the-holidays.html

The next mobile is adorable and ties in the whole theme of this particular nursery. I would have to come up with a creative way to make it more like baby K's nursery. You can check out the rest of the nursery here: http://thegoodlifebyerin.blogspot.com/2010/10/emersons-nurseryfinally.html Super cute!

The last one of love! It and many others like it can be founf on etsy-but it comes with a price tage of $165.00. Yes, it is beautiful, but no thanks! Look closely and you will see it is sticks, wrapped in yarn, with fabric birds wired to it-how hard could that be-right?

Anyway, I am currently working on a couple of these and I will show you how they turn out.

Which is your favorite? Have any of you attempted to create your own baby mobile?

Free FALLing

2010-10-23T14:58:00.000-05:00

I have been a little behind in decorating for fall around the house.....been a little preoqupied with nursery and baby stuff! The easiest way to bring a little fall into my house is the mantel in the living room.

Traditionally, Fall decor tends to bring out the warmer, darker tones. I like the texture in this mantels decor.

But sometimes something unexpected like this is BEAUTIFUL for FAll. I just L-O-V-E this bright and fresh fall take. I mean really, how lovely is this?!?

This too is a great brights and airy fall mantel. And how simple-just add some brightly colored fall leaves.

One of my favorite bloggers, Layla, over at The lettered Cottage, has a great fall matel and firplace decor.

If you have not yet visited her blog-click over there now-http://theletteredcottage.net/

Love her style-and she and her hubby are just so stinkin cute-they will become one of your favorites!

Beautiful Baby Bedding

2010-10-22T11:38:00.001-05:00

I know it took me long enough-but I decided on this classic linen baby bedding. I love the look and feel linen brings to a room. Not to mention I can see myself using this with more babies to come and even passing it on to a daughter one day :)! I think it has a sort of timeless look.

I was really inspired by neutral nurseries and adding touches of color through accents like art and a creative mobile. I am actually working on that and will post pictures soon ;) Can't wait for the finished bedding to arrive-I will be sure to post finished nursery pics then.

This is made by Debbie Park and she can be found on etsy(http://www.etsy.com/shop/cottageandcabin). She does beautiful work and if you do not find what you are looking for she will customize it. I asked for this bedding but with longer and widerbumper ties so I can tie the bumper on with large bows. I am a sothern girl and love me some bows! She can also do this in a soft pink, blue or white linen.

Making Way for baby K

2010-10-21T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well, many of you know that we are expecting out first in a little over 7 weeks-YIKE-that is hard to believe! The hubbs and I decided not to find out what we are having-which has been a lot of fun-but it has made some things difficult. When you go into baby shops- it is usually devided into boy stuff and girl stuff-with very little in between. Now, girls can wear blues, greens, browns, and yellows-but little boys can not wear pink, flowers and little girly slogans. While I am touching on this-why is it that everything has to have a slogan right across the front of it! Little slugger, Future All Star, Mommy love me...I mean come on!!

Anyway...

My point is, there is a very limited selection of nice gender neutral clothing out there. This got me to thinking(late at night when I couldn't sleep but should be sleeping)....So I pulled out my old sewing machine(by old I mean this bad boy was purchased in 1998) and went serching for ideas on the internet.

This is my new project...

making my own baby gowns. I love baby gowns because they are cute and oh so easy! I can purchase my choice fabric or make them from old t-shirts(love this green idea)!

There is a great tutorial here for making baby gowns from old t-shirts

http://thismamamakesstuff.com/?s=newborn+gowns

If you make one, please post a comment and share your pictures! I would love to see some of the results!

freebie

2010-10-14T21:31:00.000-05:00

no, I am not giving anything away-but a sweet friend is...

check out emma-crazycooks.blogspot.com

She is a baker and stay at home mom extraordinaire!

So-so at sewing

2010-09-26T15:17:00.000-05:00

I love to tackle a good project but I am just so-so at sewing. Truth be told, I have not really sewed anything since I was a little girl. My grandmother was very talented and taught me a few things-but I just didn't keep it up.

With our first little one on the way, there are SOOo many cute kiddo clothes out there and I really want to get back into it!

There are the basic john johns and little dresses. But I would eventually love to be able to monogram, applique, and more .

A sweet friend of mine has a blog if you are interested in a few tutorials or even making purchases from her!

http://morethanclothing.blogspot.com/

Do any of you have a sewing machine that just rocks?!?

I have no idea what is out there and what I would need. Suggestions please! How did you get started on your sewing adventures?

Remember me...

2010-08-31T15:56:00.001-05:00

Well, I know it has been a while since I have posted...but that does not mean the Kelton's Cozy Cottage has not been busy at work!

Rember the free old dresser I was turning into a changing table?

Well it has been completed for over a month now-I have just been slacking on posting!

I am really pleased with how it turned out. I used left over white trim paint and a darker color for the knobs. With the exception on the drawer liners, this project was FREE!

I picked up a mirror at a thrift store and simply spray painted it. I had some left over fabric and wanted to do a little art project for the baby room.

I simply purchased 4 wooden sewing hoops from hobby lobby for less than $4. I pulled the fabric tightly and super-glued the ends to the back to keep them secure.

I love the little pop of color it brings to the changing area.

Countdown to Baby

2010-07-17T07:18:00.000-05:00

In a fixer upper, there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done! The hubs may not know it yet, but he is booked every weekend until his classes start back! I feel this sense of urgency to finish all of our unfinished projects before he work and school picks back up, for fear that they will NEVER get done-especially after baby Kelton comes!

So for now, I have decided to cross a few things off my list! Like baby bedding-do I really think I have the time to make my baby bedding? Lord, I can't even find the time to go to the fabric store! I think I liked the idea of knowing that I made the bedding that my little one in sleeping in-but I have decided to leave that up to someone else.

I do have a few small projects I am working on while hubby is patching walls and painting baby Kelton's room.

I found this great old chandelier that I need to rewire and find a few shades for.

It reminds me so much of this little cutie from pottery barn.

I am also turning trash into treasure with this small dresser. It will get a coat of white paint and will soon turn into a changing table!

So with everything on my to do list, I am thinking the bedding will have to be left up to the professionsals!

baby bedding

2010-07-10T23:22:00.001-05:00

I have been looking around at baby bedding to get ideas

I love linen in particular.

Isn't it so simple and relaxing?

I LOVE the flax pillow!! It is just so sweet.

I have thought about touches of yellow of green in the room.

I also like the simplicity of the pique pottery barn bedding. Here it is shown in white and green, but I also like the brown and white combo.

I have an idea of what I am looking for so now it is on to fabric shopping....

Our Front Entry Revamp

2010-07-05T18:10:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a happy Fourth!

My goal was to have the door scraped, sanded, painted and flag hung before the fourth.

We made it!

The front of the house has come a long way since we purchased it, and I am sure our neighbors are thankful.

This is a reminder of the before shot...

I really wanted to add a littlle color, so I made a simple wreath and I think it is just what the the door needed for summer.

For now I am driving by the house really slowly as I come and go...

to take in all of the homes changes!

Laundry room update

2010-07-01T10:19:00.001-05:00

Although our laundry room will not be fully finished until after the 4th of July, it is coming along.

I find doing laundry so much more enjoyable than when the washer was in the kitchen and the dryer was in the laundry room.

A few of my favorite touches are the the Tom's peanuts canister for detergent. I am still on the look out for a cute scoop for this-the plastic laundry scoop just doesn't do it for me.

The brown cart was actually from the 1950's and was a utility cart that housed a plug for other appliances.

It was just $4 at a local flea market and when my husband saw it, he thought I had lost my mind.

It was a little rusty and had very boldy colored flowers all over it, but nothing a little paint couldn't take care of.

What is left for the laundry room:

1) We have 3/4 inch plywood we will be cutting, painting and polyurethaning for a countertop...much like this

http://www.younghouselove.com/2007/11/spin-city/

2) Then I will be making a little skirt to hide the washer and dryer.

Flea Market Finds

2010-06-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

So I have been hitting up the flea markets on the look out for a couple of items for the nursury-

although I didnt find the nursury items I was looking
for-I did score a couple of great finds.

This large old lamp was only 6 dollars! It is the perfect color for our master bedroom. It matches our duvet and euro shams perfectly!

It did need a new lamp shade so I went to target and found this great textured lampshade-it had a little dent so I got it 10% off....

and the dent doesn'tt even show!

I also got 4 of these great plates-$3 a piece but they were worth it!

Master bedroom still needs loads of work-but today was sucessfull in getting me a little closer in the process.

Painting while pregnant...

2010-06-27T19:11:00.000-05:00

Did you know that 99.9% of paints sold is toxic and carcinogenic. Most of the nasty chemicals in paint are not mandatory to disclose according to the law.

Well Mythic Paint is a great small company that is safe for people, earth and pets. My top concern right now...pregnant women! I have been painting WHILE PREGNANT!

Interested in knowing more...
click here for a quick video about Mythic paint and what makes it different from any other paint!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXGgGa9izoY

Mythic has a great website that tells you all about the paint, colors and other cool stuff
http://www.mythicpaint.com/

go ahead...check out there website..j.ust promise to come back to mine when you are done browsing.

Unfortunatly, the other paint companies that advertise no VOC(Volitile Organic Compounds) add all the chemicals when they add the colorant.

Mythic goes on great and has SO many colors to choose from. If there is not a store near you, no fear, they will ship anywhere and match ANY color.

I am determined to get this house ready before baby comes...because what doesn't get done before...will likely never get done! So I will be painting for the next several months with peace of mind.

We only use Mythic paint in our home and feel so much better knowing that we are not painting chemical on our baby's room walls.

Hop on the green and smart train people-give mythic a try!

laundry room ideas

2010-06-15T12:04:00.001-05:00

When we moved into our home in December, the washer was in the kitchen and the dryer was just off the kitchen in a little walkway. I had big plans of turning the walkway into a laundry room. We had the plumbing done and our new front load washer and dryer were just delievered.

Our plans are to make a counter (possibly from plywood) for over the washer and dryer. A little fabric curatin, and we will be in business.

more pictures to come soon....hopefully!

reason for my recent blogging abscence....

2010-06-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

Well, we had a little surprise this Easter!

Actually, it was just before easter but I had purchased a few things for the hubbs and myself for Easter. We do not typically do Easter baskets, but there were just a few things we had each been wanting-so I just grabbed them up and put them in some baskets I already had.

The hubbs loved his new golf shirt but what else is in there? Hidding underneath his shirt was a pregnancy test...

I think his look says it all! We had no idea...SURPRISE!

It is a few more weeks until we can find out our baby's gender...but we are hoping we can just hold out.

With that in mind, I love gender nuetral rooms.

This is one of my favorites.

We have a few odd angles in what will be our baby's room. I am think about the chair rail and the ceiling we will go with a creamy white from Mythic Paint that we have previously used in our house. Below the chair, a light to dark brown.

Restoration Hardware Baby also has some Beautiful things as well. I feel the neutrals are just so calming.

Come on, how sweet is that bassinett!?!?

I have found some lovely fabric and plan on making the neutral baby bedding myself...

....which I have not started yet!