The Teacher and the Banker's House

Lola Got a Haircut!

2012-04-30T10:20:00.001-04:00

Guess what we spent $80 on???????????????
Doesn't Lola look pretty? I never realized how expensive it is to get the dog's haircut.

Bench Out = More Formal Room

2012-04-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

I moved the bench from the dining room table for two reasons.
#1- Emma fell off of it twice
#2- I wanted to create more of a formal dining room

You can see in this picture of when the bench used to be at the table.

I moved it over under the shelves. I think it looks so much better, and if we have guests over, I can easily slide the bench back over to the table.

Picture of the Four Chairs Around the Table for a More Formal Area

What do you think? Do you like the bench better at the table or under the shelves?
Enjoy!
~Amy

A Star Light for Our Soon-To-Be Craft Area

2012-04-15T19:57:00.000-04:00

We got a lot done this weekend, including installing our new light for the craft area.
I ordered this one from Amazon.com. It was from their outdoor collection and was about $80. I originally purchased it for the hallway, but decided to go with something else for there.

You just had to screw it to the ceiling using the hardware they sent with it. You can also have it hardwired it if you choose, but we kept it with the plug since we have a plug in our ceiling.

Here it is!

With it plugged in!

Now off to find some shelves for this area, and think about what we can use as a desk-project table. Do you have a designated area that the kids can ruin? Somewhere they can paint, draw, color and an area where you can hot glue and craft?
Enjoy!
~Amy

Spring Wreath and Decor...

2012-03-26T20:14:00.001-04:00

I decided to make another yarn wreath for the spring time. I used the same technique as the Valentine's Day Wreath. I wanted to try a "grassy" green one but found great green yarn on clearance at Jo-Ann Fabrics and went with the cheap stuff!
Materials you need to create your own yarn wreath:
     *Yarn
     *Wreath (any kind,I used the straw one in this project)
     *Hot glue gun
     *Felt in a variety of colors
     *Scissors
I wrapped the yarn around the straw wreath (keep the plastic on the wreath makes it easier to wrap the yarn around) and tied off the end. (Not sure why I had the Peacock feather laying there!)

I created a variety of flowers out of felt, using the same technique as I did for the Valentine's Day wreath, and hot glued them on.

I hung the wreath above the shelves and added some greens in tin cans that I bought at Ikea, birds that I used on the Valentine's Day Shelves, Spring banner from Target, Page out of a magazine and placed it in a yellow frame that I already had, and added some old bunnies that I had on hand.

This weather has been gorgeous here... makes it feel like summer instead of spring.

Enjoy!
~Amy

Brushing Our Teeth!

2012-03-22T21:24:00.000-04:00

Good Hygiene.

Don't look at the garbage can overflowing in the background- this is real life. Isn't Emma getting big? Makes me sad to think she is now a toddler, and not a baby!

The Stripes are Now Completed!!!!

2012-03-22T20:56:00.000-04:00

I can't say that this was the worst project that I ever took on, but I can say I didn't enjoy it one bit. I was so sick of measuring, taping, and using the level by the end.
I used the same procedure as I did for the first half of the hallway.
I do have a small section to do, but I am sure I'll put it off, so I didn't want you to have to wait to see how the hallway looks today!

All Taped Up!

With one coat of paint:

Isn't it glorious? I am happy with the results after all of that work. Sorry, it took me so long to finish. I am planning on doing a gallery wall on the left side of the hallway.

What project did you finish lately?

Enjoy!

~Amy

Fabric Covered Letters

2012-03-19T07:34:00.001-04:00

I had a ton of the yellow chevron fabric left from the frame project I created a few weeks ago. I think I may use some to create some flowers for my spring wreath I have been working on, but I also knew I wanted to create something else for the shelf ledge in the dining room.

FABRIC COVERED LETTERS

I picked up three letters that spell out the word EAT from Jo-Ann Fabrics.

I cut the fabric around each letter and used spray adhesive to attach the front of the letter to each piece of fabric.

I hot glued the other pieces to cover the side and back of each letter.

The letters are just leaning on the ledge.

I have been working on a ton of different projects over the weekend. I got to finish the stripes in the hallway, worked on decorating my spring shelves in the living room, a new spring wreath, and got out our Easter decor. My oldest one still thinks she is getting a new swing set from the Easter Bunny.
What did you get done this weekend?
Isn't the weather awesome? It is going to be so nice to be off two days this week.
Enjoy!
~Amy

Updated House Tour

2012-03-18T20:57:00.000-04:00

Updated the house tour... take a peak of the most recent photos of our home.

Downstairs Bathroom Progress...

2012-03-13T06:42:00.002-04:00

We have been working on the downstairs bathroom for a while now. Lets take a look back at what it used to look like:

This is the old vanity and toilet. We ripped off the countertop and threw it away. We also threw the old toilet away.

Old light and wallpaper.... really makes you feel ill how ugly it is. Note- not really sure why the toilet brush is laying on top of the toilet????

We refinished the cabinet and installed a new toilet into the space. I just sanded the cabinet down and then applied three coats of Zinsser primer- Perma-White Mold and Mildew proof. I coated the cabinet with three coats of white bath paint off the shelf color from Home Depot. I don't remember the name of the paint and already threw the can away.
The hardware is brushed nickel- Martha Stewart brand.

You can see the swatches on the top of what countertop color we are thinking of purchasing.
We also added a towel holder we already owned to the wall.

We are keeping the existing shower- just going to replace the shower head.

Still have to:
     *Find a bathroom rug I like
     *Window Treatment
     *Trim under the vanity
     *New countertop, sink, and faucet
     *New vent cover for the ceiling vent cover
     *Trim down bathroom door and rehang
     *Trim in between the carpet and ceramic tile
     *Trim around the mirror

Guess everything takes time. Speaking of time, I don't know how much more time I can work on these stripes. Hopefully, the stripe walls will be done by Friday.
Enjoy!
~Amy

(You can't really tell by the pictures, but we also laid new ceramic flooring. We had to ripe out the old stuff which took forever.)

Chalkboard Vase

2012-03-12T06:42:00.000-04:00

I wanted to spruce up an existing vase that I already had. I had some chalkboard paint laying around and figured on using what I had on hand already.

First, I washed the vase and taped off the edges (using a level to make sure the tape was even) to make a nice square on the glass front.

I used a paintbrush I already had on hand and painted the inside of the square. I think spray paint would have worked better, but I didn't have any.

Applied three light coats, allowing drying time in between.
Here is the finished project with a few tulips inside. I love the smell of flowers, they are cheap, and are a natural way to make your house smell so good!

Now tell me again, how do you keep Tulips alive? I have a lot of little projects to show you as I continue to work on the striped walls. Ran out of painter's tape again!

What did you do this weekend?

Enjoy!

~Amy

Thirty-One Party- Large Utility Tote

2012-03-08T06:34:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I had a Thirty-One Gifts party at my house and it was a blast! I have never been to one before. If you have never been to one you should go. It is the ultimate organization company. Almost everything can be personalized. For having the party I earned this:

Some of the bags are luggage and work, but most of them are to organize all the stuff in my house. I am trying to make everything have a home, so nothing looks cluttered.
The first thing I got to use was a large utility tote. You can use this for multiple things like: going to the beach, in the back of your car, when you go to warehouse stores like SAMS or Costco, or stores like Aldi's that don't give you a bag. The uses of this are endless.

I used the first one I received to store both of my daughter's memorabilia stuff. Such as: professional pictures that don't hang in frames no longer, both of their baby books, both of their Disney Autograph books from DisneyWorld, outfits they wore going home from the hospital, both of their time capsules from their first birthday, and a few other things. See how it fits so nicely in the tote?

Then, I just put the tote in the top of my closet so I can easily pull it down if I need something and put it back up again.

Next I am going to tackle this- organizing all of my craft and scrapbook stuff:

You can see I already started organizing some stuff into those black and white bins. I can't wait to create my craft area on the enclosed sunroom. Stay tuned...

Have you ever been to a Thirty-One party? Tell all...
Enjoy!
~Amy

Chevron Covered Photo Mat

2012-03-06T06:38:00.000-05:00

I really liked the picture frames in the dining room, but they needed some sprucing up. I ordered this yellow chevron fabric from fabric.com a while ago for pillows, and thought it would look nice in these frames.

CHEVRON COVERED PHOTO MAT

(I think black and white photos will look better in the frame, so I just ordered some.)

The materials you will need are:
     *Fabric
     *Spray Adhesive
     *Scissors
     *Hot Glue and Glue Sticks
     *Ruler or Tape Measure
     *Frame with a Mat

First, spray paint the picture frame with four light coats of white paint
Take apart the picture frame and take out the mat
Measure the picture frame and then cut the material that size, leaving enough fabric to wrap around the mat.

Wrap the fabric along the mat and use spray adhesive to get the fabric to stick to the front of the mat.

Use hot glue to secure the fabric to the back of the mat.
Finally, put the frame back together and hang back on the wall.

Cover any photo mats lately? Take any pictures of your kids? Time to hang a new one on the wall!

Enjoy!

~Amy

Stripes have Appeared!

2012-03-05T06:39:00.000-05:00

Finally, we have stripes on the hallway walls. I only got two walls completed, because I wanted to make sure it looked good before I painted them all. I am not going to lie, this was very time consuming! I will get into how to make stripes on the walls in a second, but for now here they are- ta-da!

To make stripes on the walls, you have to first determine how many stripes you want and if you want an odd number or even number of stripes.

I measured from the floor to the ceiling and divided that number by the number of stripes I wanted. It came to be a little over 7 inches.

I rounded down to 7 inches and left the remaining measurement for the bottom stripe. You can't tell that one is bigger.

So I measured 7 inches down from the ceiling and made an X with my pen:

Then, I set up the laser level. I am in love with the level- it is awesome! Why didn't I purchase one before? I placed the level on the X that was marked on that wall:

I then remeasured with my tape measure to make sure the red laser line was 7 inches down. I then placed a piece of painter's tape on the line and then remeasure again to make sure it was 7 inches. I kept doing this unto the wall was completed. I then moved to the second wall and followed these steps again.

I placed a piece of tape on the stripe I wanted painted so I didn't forget which stripe was to be white.

I painted two coats of off the shelf white from Behr in Eggshell. I allowed 24 hours before applying the second coat. I did not have any problems when I riped the tape off of paint bleeding under the tape.

See all of the tape that I used.... A LOT......................

It was finally completed after six hours of working off and on.

I only have three more walls to complete, hopefully, I can get them done this week after work!

What did you get done this weekend? Did you organize a drawer or closet? Did you paint an end table? Doesn't it feel so good to get projects completed?

Enjoy!

~Amy

Hallway Stripes Inspiration...

2012-02-29T07:29:00.001-05:00

I have always wanted to paint stripes in the hallway, but felt is would be too time consuming. Well, I was right. So while I am tackling that project, I will show you some of the inspirational pictures that will make you drool.
This one is from Melissa at the Inspired Room-

Sherry and John from Young House Love Painted Stripes in their Old Bathroom-at the Old House

This one from It's the Little Things that Make a House a Home:

Stephen and Brittany's Hallway:

So while the girls are visiting their aunt tonight, I'll be measuring and taping, using the level again and again. Wish me luck!

Are you a fan of stripes?

Enjoy!

~Amy

Ikea Finds...

2012-02-28T06:33:00.001-05:00

I went to Ikea a few weeks ago to browse for things I need for my new craft area I am creating in the enclosed patio area of the house. I can't wait to start that project. A place where everything will be organized and I don't have to search through drawers and cabinets to find what I am looking for. There will be areas to store:

     *Fabric Scraps and Fabric
     *Media Equipment
     *Scrapbooking Materials
     *Glue Products
     *Coloring Products
     *Kids' Books and Art Supplies
     *Paper and Stickers
     *Catalogs and Magazines
And the list goes on and on...
While I was at Ikea though I spoted some cute things that I picked up.
These plants were ONLY a dollar and the little silver tins/pots were seventy-nine cents. Talk about a steal. I also like having the sheepskin rugs to throw over a basket of toys or a chair. The three little picture frames are for the gallery wall I am planning once the hallway painting project is completed. (More on the hallway tomorrow)

To place the pots in the pots, I first placed rocks in the bottom:

Then I placed the plants inside the pots:

I am happy to say the plants are still alive. You only have to water them once the soil is dry.

Plant anything lately? Are you building a craft area in your house?

Enjoy!
~Amy

Painted Kitchen....

2012-02-27T06:33:00.001-05:00

After painting the dining room the blue-gray-green color, I also thought the kitchen needed some paint too.
I pulled out the fridge to paint behind it and then painted the other walls.

Since the kitchen is so little it didn't take much time to complete this project. I just trimmed along the cabinets and countertops.

Now that the painting is finished, I still have to:
     *Paint the cabinets
     *Install New Microwave
     *New light fixture
     *Install new French doors
     *New hardware on the cabinets (you can see the one handle is broken)
     *Maybe update the countertops
My to-do list goes on and on. Does yours also? I guess our houses are never really how we want them to be!

Enjoy!
Amy

Fill Your Vases...

2012-02-23T06:35:00.000-05:00

After I took down all of my Valentine decorations, I was left with empty apothecary jars.

I found two vase fillers at Target to help fill the space. One was lemons and the other was wine corks. I am still thinking of what to put in the other one. I have seen pictures of tulip bulbs planted before and loved the way it looked. All you have to do is put rocks in the bottom of the jar and place the bulb standing up. Lastly, you just add a little water, but not too much that it covers the bulb. I may try that over the weekend.

(sorry for the lock- we have to lock our children out of the buffet or they throw our glass vases!)

Use vase fillers for anything lately? I just finished my order from my thirty-one party. I can't wait to show you what I got.

Enjoy!

~Amy

Go Ahead and Paint on Your Table Runners

2012-02-22T06:41:00.001-05:00

I had this plain white table runner around for a while now. IT WAS BORING! I purchased it from Pottery Barn about two years ago. I needed something to dress it up, and had wished I got it monogrammed when I ordered it. When shopping in Jo-Ann Fabrics one day I had noticed that there were fabric pens and thought that I could monogram it myself.

I printed out a W from the computer and used my scissors to cut it out.

I then traced the W on the fabric, measuring first where I wanted it to be on the table runner.

I filled in the W with the fabric pen and ironed over it to seal it.

I then placed it over my burlap table runner from Valentine's Day (that I turned upside down) and here you have it?

Have you colored on any table runners lately?

Enjoy!
~Amy

The Entry Way's Beginning...

2012-02-21T06:56:00.000-05:00

I hate my entry way- did I ever tell you that?
It is small, too crammed to sit down, and not a lot of style. I knew I needed to come up with a solution for all of our winter gear: gloves, hats, and scarfs.
Entry way when we started:

I had a stand I bought a while ago for the downstairs bathroom, but since I have a new idea for in there, the stand wasn't being used. I got it from Ikea a while ago, but I don't remember the name or how much it was.

I got the baskets the other day at Target for $12 a piece. I then bought the unfinished numbers from amazon.com for $4.00 a piece.

I spray painted the numbers black. I then used a piece of painter's tape so when I drilled the hole it didn't split the wood. I drilled a hole in each number and then attached the numbers to the basket using twine.

I really like the way it looks. I also added a mirror on the other wall and hope to add some picture frames as well.

I have to now add some more picture frames, hang a new light fixture, maybe update the banister, add corner round around the flooring, and the list goes on and on...

I love organizing.... I had a Thirty-One party this past weekend and it was a lot of fun! They have so many awesome organizing bins, baskets, and bags. I think my wish list is at $500. I can't wait to order.

Look who came to the party to visit Emma- our friend Beth's little boy. Isn't he adorable?

(Look at all of these awesome bags!)

Enjoy!

~Amy

Do you label your baskets? Do you have baskets in your entry way?

The Dining Room with Stuff in it!

2012-02-17T06:43:00.001-05:00

After I finished painting the dining room, it needed decorated. I laid the brown mirror up against the wall that was there before, but it didn't do anything for the room.
So, I switched it out for the white mirror that was in the hallway before- then on the shelves in the living room.

I used these plate holders that I found on amazon.com to hang plates I got from a dear friend for Christmas.

I hung two pictures frames with the girls' pictures that I already had. I thought about painting these- we'll see.

The chalkboard and curtains I already had in the dining room. So here it is...... finished for now.

Just because it is Friday and we need a little Emma love.. she was home when I was working on the room. Addyson was at her aunt's house

Happy Friday! Doing anything fun this weekend?

Enjoy!
~Amy

Gray That Really is Blue!

2012-02-16T06:30:00.003-05:00

After a lot of testers and mistakes, I finally found a color I liked,

Benjamin Moore Wedgewood Gray- it is a mixture of blue-gray- and even green and I like it a lot better than the tan or yellow.

I only had to put one coat on the wall since it already had a coat of primer. I edged everything first.

I waited 24 hours for the paint to dry and then rehung everything in the room.

(Just got done painting the room in this picture)

(no curtains hung yet in this picture)

It brings out my furniture and makes me happier every time I look into the room.

This is the before again-

I ordered some fabric samples- might switch up the curtains. Already made a ton of changes in the room, I'll show you tomorrow!

What do you think? Do you like it?

Enjoy!

~Amy

Gray is the New Green!

2012-02-15T06:20:00.000-05:00

My sister gave me these chairs that she bought a while back at Target, sold for $14 for the pair. She previously used them in her game room-at the craft table.

I really liked the shape of the chairs, but not the green color. Other chairs similar to this style can range from $50-$400.
I liked these ones from West Elm

(source)

I sprayed each chair with two coats of primer- gray primer.

Then, I used two coats of Rust-Oleum stone gray paint in satin, allowing 24 hours of drying time between each coat. I chose satin because I didn't want the chairs to appear "shiny"

Without further adieu, here they are-

(see Addyson napping in the background- I was able to put these back together while she slept for an hour)

What color do you like better- the gray or green? I actually like gray, green, and blue. I just painted my dining room a mixture of all three. Finally, I was able to find a paint color I really liked for the dining room. I'll post more on that tomorrow, when I get the room put back together.

Did you paint anything recently?

Enjoy!

~Amy

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T19:26:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all!
Addyson and Emma are all dressed for school. Addyson will have a party since she is in the preschool room, but since Emma is only one they won't celebrate.

The girls' presents:

I am loving a ton on Pinterest for the holiday.

(source)

Hope you had a great V-Day!

Enjoy!
~Amy

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T06:33:00.000-05:00

I usually only post once a day, but today, you'll get three!

My sister gave my niece and nephew an awesome Valentine's Day gift and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Isn't he cute?

Emma meeting Parker- our newest member of the family.

Enjoy!
~Amy

Dining Room Painting Job Take 1.

2012-02-14T06:27:00.000-05:00

In my quest to paint every wall in my house a color other than tan, the dining was a great place to start.

I took everything down off of the walls and taped off the ceiling, window, doors, and baseboards. I like to use Frog Tape. (Don't you hate my countertops in the kitchen? That is on my to-do list)

After a lot of research I thought of staying in the "warm" family of colors and going with a yellow. I liked how the color Sherwin Williams Morning Sun looked in this room.

(source)

When I put it on the wall, I hated it! It looked really nice in her room, but it was to light in my house. I have dark furniture, dark walnut floors, so the yellow didn't do much for me. (No pictures of just the Morning Sun Paint- was too disgusted!)
Then I went to Home Depot and tried a sample of a darker yellow paint- see below. I didn't really like that either.

I am now thinking I want something in the "cool" family to off set all of the dark in the room. I want the room to be more open and feel bigger.

Off to find a new color.... any suggestions?

Did you ever paint a room and hate it? Do you buy those tester paints they sell now?

Wish me luck on finding a new color.

Enjoy!

~Amy