Ooh La La

Addis new room!

2012-03-27T11:56:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to finally have Addis room finished! I started it a few months ago with the chandelier. I have been wanting to paint her room blue since we moved in but it is a big project and I just kept putting it off.

I was also really worried about moving her famous bed. It actually came apart and moved really easy. Remember it before? I don’t have a great picture that shows how small it made her room look in that spot but it has definitely grown with the new location.

This is a glorified version of the before picture for the chandelierer I found online. I found that one at the salvage yard and it was much less clean but about the same. I painted it white and bought some white lampshades at Lowes. I just painted them pink with a foam brush and some craft paint I had around. I also painted a ceiling medallion that we found there also.

May I also mention that I stood FOREVER holding this above my head while Brandon figured out the wiring… Not that it was super heavy but awkward. I think I was sore for days! Lol.

This little table was an end table. I just put my stencil on before I painted it to let the wood come through. The chairs are from IKEA.

I did this shelve a while ago. It was found at an antique store. Remember the before?

The flowers are from the dollar store! Addi picked the owl out last time we were at real deals. She is just like me… a sucker for owls. The tea set is one that my husbands Aunt made and was passed down to Addi. I love it when something has sentimental value and its cute at the same time!

These curtains were the curtains that used to hang on my patio doors. I just sewed ruffles onto the bottom out of some white muslin to extend the length.

I wish I had a before of this little desk. The drawer was completely split in half and missing the bottom half. That’s where the hubby came in and fixed it up for Addi aka… me!

The mirror was out of my moms pile of stuff we found at yard sales last year. All it needed was a little Windex! It is perfect for her jewelry box and some chap stick, body spray… you know everything a little girl needs! The chair was also from a yard sale. I refinished a pair of them and had them in my room for a while.

The doll cradle came from D.I. It just needed some to be sturdied and some new paint! The quilt was one of her baby quilts my mom made and the doll was one that I believe my grandma had made.

The name is scrapbook paper on chipboard all strung across a photo mat. The duvet is from Land of Nod. The quilt across the top was her crib quilt.

We bought the doors with the chalkboard on the back when we built the house. It is kind of fun. I actually left the doors and the inner part of the window the same color as the trim in the rest of the house to tie it all in. The frames were just painted white and the chipboard with the fabric flowers were just mounted on some pine board I had left over from a project that Brandon cut for me.

The dresser I traded a client for. I lined the inside with easy tack and cute polka dot wrapping paper to clean up the drawers. I also replaced the missing mirror with cork board.I put the stencil on before I painted to let some wood shine through. The knobs are tulle for now unless I find some I love on a killer deal.

The dollhouse was done for her 2nd Christmas. You can see more pictures here.

Custom Cabinet Sold-

2012-03-12T18:27:00.001-07:00

I am excited to say that I will be offering some large furniture pieces for sale within the next couple of months along with some smaller items. Some furniture will be hand-made, along with pieces refinished. Please be sure to watch for new posts!! This one was sold before I could get it up!

$500 firm. Solid pine cabinet with detailed trim,a bead board back and a vintage window as the door!

Winter Projects

2012-02-03T20:48:00.001-08:00

Winter is one of my favorite times to work on things. It is usually so yucky outside I just want to stay inside and nest. I have been slowly trying to get more organized and brighten up my décor. I want to add more whites. It seems to make it seem more bright and puts me in a good mood!

I have been in love with this fabric for a while now. My Aunt and cousin had used it on a few pieces for Serendipity. It comes very wide right off the bolt and it was really simple to sew up some curtains! I love when they go floor to ceiling… another thing I am slowly working on… fixing all the ones in my house that don’t! I can’t even stand to look at them now!

I love them closed most often to avoid seeing the mess that the big dog makes on the patio and I get plenty of light from my big windows. Sometimes when it is not enough or we are coming in and out they need to be open. I had some of these in my stash from one of our annual labor day girls shopping trip. I found these two years ago at Eurotreasures and have been hanging on to them until I found a purpose! I love the old and chippy with a hint of blue!

My husband has been such a trooper lately. It seems like every day he comes home I am ready for some assistance in hanging or lifting or some sort of aid in one of my crazy ideas! The other day he put in this doggy door for me Roxy. It is one of those things that after you think “Why didn’t I do that sooner?”

Notice the big empty space on the right side of the doors? Guess what is going to go there! This is a fun piece that I painted for Serendipity this time. I knew if it didn’t sell it needed to come home. My black computer desk stands lonely on the other side of the room. I think it will be nice to have a little black to tie it all together.

I had enough fabric left to do some pillows!

I have also been painting many other things. It seems easier to find the time to do them than to blog about it. I hope I can at least post a few times each month.

I also hope to paint Addis room soon. I have the cutest little dresser to dream up something for too! I am hoping to start within a few weeks. I am making myself wait until a few other unfinished projects are done! I get bored easily and skip around often!

Our 2011 Christmas

2011-12-11T08:46:00.001-08:00

Formal Living

I love Christmas and Christmas decorating! I am so excited for the kids to open their presents and see what Santa Claus has in surprise for them. I just finished up my shopping in Salt Lake this past week! We also went to zoo lights which was super fun! I got a few things at IKEA to start some new projects after Christmas also! Here are a few of my Christmas decorations. After pulling 9 full totes out of the crawl space I did some major cleaning out!

Formal Dining

Family Room

I made these stockings this year. They were super fun. I just used muslin and wonder under to adhere the patterns, sewed around the edges, then hot glued the ruffles and ribbon on . The glitter charms were purchased at Wal-Mart.

My mom and I also spent an afternoon sewing us some new burlap ruffle tree skirts. She has a ruffle foot for the sewing machine that makes the ruffles and sews them on at the same time. It is so sweet!

I always do a tree that is more fitted for the kids. Although it is usually real. I knew that we just couldn’t fit that in this year as early as I like to put the tree up.

Entryway

I just finished this coffee filter wreath. Super easy… Super time consuming. I had been working on it every time Brandon and I watched a movie.

Addis Room

merry christmas

Technorati Tags: christmas decor,christmas tree,ruffle stockings,stockings,wreath,coffee filter wreath,tree skirt

Stantyns bassinet

2011-11-21T09:47:00.001-08:00

This was the bassinet that I slept in when I was little. It was given to my mom by her Aunt and it was old then. My mom and grandma fixed it up for me and my mom fixed it up for me to use for Stantyn! I hate baby furniture all over but this I absolutely love!!! Thanks mom!

Technorati Tags: bassinet

Ashleys Toy Chests

2011-11-20T21:02:00.001-08:00

Hello! Its been a while! I have been extremely busy! With another fun Serendipity sale behind us I will be posting more pictures of the good time soon!

I just finished these trunks for Ashley. She had Arns make them and they are so fun! They were solid pine when she brought them to me. I love the inside stained dark. I had so much fun painting them! The chippy look is definetely timeless and I love it!

I would be happy to paint anything for anybody anytime!

Fall & Halloween

2011-10-24T15:58:00.001-07:00

Hi! Its been a while! Life has been a little busy! I have been working really hard on Serendip-i-ty and am just about finished! I have some really neat stuff this time. I will be posting pictures after the sale! I want to take them when it is all put together! Here are a few pictures of our house at Halloween.

Here is the fun hat I wore last year. I thought I may as well decorate with it. I just put it up on a candlestick to give it some height. I also cut some vinyl to pout on the lantern and the plate. The apothecary jar is filled with skulls from the dollar store!

I got to sneak out with my mom about a month ago. We went to a few yard sales where I found two great pieces for Serendipity and then to Black Eyed Susans fall boutique! I got a few presents for people but was excited to find an antique dough bowl for me!

My cute friend Bitsy made this for me! She is such a sweet heart.

I shopped for Halloween costume stuff today! Stryder chose Metro man so he is patiently awaiting for his to come in the mail. Stantyn and Addilyn are being owls and I am making them so I best be getting busy!

B Happy Halloween!

Happy Fall

2011-09-29T12:48:00.001-07:00

Linking up…blue and yellow!

2011-09-25T10:11:00.001-07:00

Go over and check out the fun party today! I am showing off my coffee table and pantry door! To read more go to the previous post!

Coffee Table Before

After

I added some fun blue to the pantry door!

Technorati Tags: coffee table,blue and yellow,pantry door

New obsession with blue and yellow!

2011-09-13T09:04:00.001-07:00

This is going to be short and sweet! It is really hard to punch keys with one hand and hold Stantyn in the other!! It is easier to just put in the pictures!

Does anybody else love the blue and yellow together? Blue is my FAVORITE COLOR! I added my chair from the living room into the family room so that we had more seating. It broke it up and made the room seem bigger. Then I added some more blue and yellow… Here is some inspiration!

House of Smiths

Apartment Therapy

BHG

Coffee Table & Living Room Update

I had a few minutes to kill the first day of pre-school before I had to pick up Stryder. Without enough time to go home I decided to make a quick stop at D.I. Here is a picture of the coffee table I found! It has been driving me nuts to not have a place to kick up your feet or set drinks down! I primed then used the Valspar spray paint in Gold Abundance. My husband said it was safety yellow like they use at work but I assured him once in the house it wouldn’t be as crazy! Haha!

Before

After

Obsession with Pantry Doors

I have also been wanting to paint my pantry door forever. It was bothering me that the rest of the room had color but the kitchen was lacking. Again… some inspiration..

House of Smiths

The finished product!

The Details

I got these cute letters at Hobby Lobby and glued moss to them!

I also filled up a few frames with new pictures!

Another D.I. find!

Before

After

Before

After

Technorati Tags: Living room update,Spray paint,Pantry door,Coffee Table refinish

Summer Dayzz….

2011-09-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am so sad to see summer coming to an end! It has been such an eventful summer with a busy work schedule, a new baby, a new job for my husband, and two busy kiddos!

I am usually excited to see September roll around and begin to fall decorate but I am not so much looking forward to it! Maybe a shopping trip this weekend with the girls and all the fall stuff out will put me in the mood!

Until then I have a project that I am working on if the weather would have cooperated the last two days I had planned on posting it!! Spray paint and wind do not mix but don’t worry… I am about to turn my garage into the spray paint booth if it does not stop!!

Last day of summer dance!!

Bedtime!!!

Swimmg at the lake!

Digging in the mud… Can’t wait to get our concrete!

Oh No!!… Roxy had to join in too! She is such a kid dog!

The start of what grew into a big smile!

Lots of love… be back soon! I hope!! Amanda

Summer Days!

2011-08-16T16:53:00.001-07:00

What a great day! We have hung out and made blanket towers, played in the tent, made smoothies and actually accomplished quite a bit! We had lots of strawberries getting too ripe today so I thought I would share one of my favorite tricks! The kids and I drink smoothies almost every afternoon lately. We have been getting so much fruit in out bountiful baskets among other places that sometimes it is ripe before we can finish it. I like to cut them up and lay them out on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, then freeze them. This works great with any fruit, especially bananas. When they are frozen you can transfer them to a freezer container or bag. This way they do not clump together and do much better in the blender.I think that smoothies have much more flavor when using frozen fruit than they do with ice. I usually throw in whatever frozen fruit we are in the mood for or I have that day along with vanilla almond milk. It is so yummy!

Here is a peek of what I am working on right now!

Luv, Amanda

Fluffing Addis room

2011-08-16T16:00:00.001-07:00

I played around with Addis room the other day. I stole the old high chair out since she is now 3 and not a baby anymore! I took the canopy down from her bed, used up some scrapbook paper to make decorate the top and turned it into a little hangout with her pillow cushion from the previous post.

The dresser moved to the other wall.

I love anything suspended from the ceiling. I put the flowers over the bed too. You can find the post about the bed here.

Now I am on the lookout for a fun chandelier for her room to paint white!

http://http://whimsyowlway.blogspot.com/2010/05/pink-chandeliers.html

I would love to paint the walls this color! Sounds like a good winter project!

Weekly task sheet

2011-08-07T09:19:00.001-07:00

I decided to try something new. Does anybody else use one of these? I usually clean my house top to bottom in one day. With my new work schedule I am going to be working more days, less hours and won’t have as many full days to get things accomplished. I also hate that it takes almost all day. I keep it picked up in the meantime for sure and the laundry up but it would be nice to designate a few days off from laundry too!

I have broke down most of my tasks into weekly, daily, and monthly. I will try to stick with the schedule and check them off daily! I also added a section for odds and ends… like this week it is change the oil in the car, and a few extra errands.

I also made a weekly menu so that I can make my grocery list from there and hopefully save a lot of last minute trips to the store for one thing. I think it will keep me on top of setting things out to thaw also the day before. I hate meat defrosted so It is usually something super easy when I have forgotten to set something out! I also like to look through my cupboards and freezer as I make the menu so I can see what might need used up.

Help yourself to these if they work for you! I read on one blog that if you keep up on things daily the house seems to “clean itself”. Haha… I don’t think it will feel like that! lol

Technorati Tags: Weekly Task Sheet,chore sheet,weekly menu sheet,organization

The boys room is coming along..

2011-08-06T13:54:00.001-07:00

So I took these pictures a while ago and am now just finally getting around to the post! It is hard to type while snuggling a little baby!! He is good enough to put him down but why would you want too!

I made this quilt for Stantyn and had my mom quilt and bind it for me! The sheet came from Target and could not have matched the fabric any better. I also have some grey sheets to switch out with it. The crib is the same crib that I have had since Stryder. It got a new coat of white paint.

I found this cute chalkboard piggy at Target! We took pictures last night! I can’t wait to see them all edited and fill up some frames!

I found this cute wet bag on Etsy that matched the fabric I had used for the rest of the room. I am using cloth diapers this time. I think they are great and will try to post about them soon. I am still learning more about them.

I found the rocking chair at a yard-sale for $10 plus and added some white spray paint.

I had some extra mirrors left over from building so I used my moms silhouette to put some vinyl decals on them.

My friend Natalie found this guitar at a yard sale for me! I spray painted the whole thing black first (strings and all) then went over it with some grey paint.

Hope everyone has a happy Saturday!

DIY pillow cushions (Land of Nod knock-off)

2011-07-24T17:47:00.001-07:00

I made these cute land of nod knock off pillow cushions for the boys room and Addi’s birthday! They were super fun. Stryder and Addi helped me stuff the boys and they thought that was great!

You can find the tutorial over at Living with Punks.

Stantyn is here!!!

2011-07-24T17:36:00.001-07:00

We welcomed Stantyn Jerek on the 17th of July! I feel so blessed to have such a great baby! He is so good and so precious! He is a week old today and we have spent the week cuddling and hanging out! It seems like forever since I had a baby (only 3 years!). I definitely think that going from 2 to 3 is going to be much easier than going from 1 to 2 children!

We found out towards the end of June that he was sitting breech. We then scheduled a version on the 15th of July. July 15th is my husbands birthday so he was thrilled that he may share a birthday with him. A version is where two doctors try to flip the baby. I hear it can be very miserable and has about a 50% success rate. There are risks involved so the O.R. prepares for a C-section in case of emergency. If it was unsuccessful we would go straight to C-section also. After many weeks of preparing and planning right up until the day before… I went in on Thursday the 14th and sure enough he had flipped! I could not have been more proud of him! Hehe!

I cancelled the induction for Friday and he decided to make his way into the world two days later! Everything went great and after my other two children spent two weeks under bili lights with extremely high levels of jaundice we did not even have to bring the lights home for one day! Although he is still jaundiced, it is just not as severe. I love essential oils and have used lemon and geranium faithfully at every diaper change to try to reduce jaundice. I am sure that has had a lot to do with him not getting up there so high!

I got Photoshop about a month ago and am so extremely lost. After hours of trying to figure out how to install actions or just do some basic editing… I came up with this… I still need to learn a ton but it helps that he is so cute!!! I will be getting his pictures taken next week professionally and will share when we get them back!

Serendipity

2011-07-09T19:21:00.001-07:00

I got ready to take pictures for Serendipity and busted out the camera, soon to find out that the memory disk did not make it. Darn. I am famous for that! Good thing my mom had her little camera. There was too much cute stuff to miss and the sale went great! The next one will be held in November. We will be doing a lot of Christmas. Don’t forget to stop by http://serendip-i-ty.blogspot.com/!

Here is a picture of a coffee table that I stenciled and refinished for the sale.

I love the news print tree on the wall!

Isn’t this couch to die for? The dress form is great too!

I also refinished this dressing table for the sale.

This armoire was another one of my favorite pieces! I love the wallpaper inside and shelves stained dark.

Look at this great dresser!

Love the locker with the chalkboard on the side!

What a fun bedroom set for a little girl! There were several other pieces, not pictured. This would have sold many times!

The wagons, refinished by my mom, were sold first thing!

Both pictures below are some way cute pack up picnic tables by Stacy. The blue one with numbers shows how they fold up ready to go!

I loved the playhouse full of fun stuff too!

It was so much fun to get to do this with my mom and cousin and Aunt. Thanks… Love you guys!

Our Master Bedroom & Bathroom

2011-07-08T14:39:00.001-07:00

Does anybody else put their bedroom off as the last room in the house that you decorate? I don’t know why but I always do. When I get sick of something in the rest of the house it seems to migrate to the bedroom. I think it is probably one of the most important spaces even if you are the only one that sees it. I got to go to Target the other day and decided it was time for fresh bedding! it always feels so nice to crawl into new sheets! I got a white duvet for $20 and a sheet set for $17. You have got to love Target! Brandon bought me a pretty blue quilt for Christmas but I haven’t got to use it much since it clashed with my sheets. I like to keep the bedding simple so that you can change just the sheets or just the pillows when you feel like it.

I found my bedroom set when I was pregnant with Stryder 5 years ago. I absolutely love it still! I think it is timeless! I do think however that the room may need a pop of color somewhere! I think that some wallpaper or a curtain behind the headboard may be cool?!? What do you think? Maybe even a fun stencil like Mandi has been using over at Vintage Revivals.

I really like keeping most of the room light. Our bedroom gets a lot of light, hence, the terrible pictures. Bear with me k!

I really just don’t love the look of ceiling fans but they are necessary and oh so nice!! Doesn’t this chandelier fit better than an ugly ceiling fan?

The Solution…. this cute little fan that sits up on top of the wardrobe and works like a charm!

I found this lamp in stainless steal at my first yard-sale this year and painted it with chalkboard paint. It is kind of fun to change it up!

This sewing machine actually opens up and would function fully if I wanted to use it… haha, ya right! It belonged to my great, great grandmother. This may be one of the only wood varnished pieces you ever see in my house! I paint everything but will definitely not ever be painting this piece. I think it would destroy the value.

I found these chairs at a yard sale last summer. They were from the 1st Uintah High School which is kind of cool. They were rusted out with no seat. I sprayed them white and used some material and batting to staple around a piece of plywood cut to size for the cushions.

Notice the bassinet tucked away in the corner… I have been dragging out all the baby furniture again. I can’t wait to get him here!

This is the bathroom. It got the tub for my birthday while we were building! The outside is cast in bronze. I love it!

Maybe some time I will get around to the bedroom and add some color…

source unknown

My computer is fixed!!

2011-07-08T13:15:00.001-07:00

My computer has been broke! I am so excited that it is back up! I am putting together many blog posts as well as editing some pictures today. I have lots to post about including our trip to Casper, WY for Serendipity! Stay tuned!

We have been enjoying our summer and preparing for the baby who is most likely going to make his grand entrance next Friday!

Here are some pictures of the birthday girl on her new birthday bike, and some cute ones of Stryder too! She turned 3 last month!

Talk Soon, xoxo, Amanda

Its about time for Serendipity!!

2011-06-21T07:23:00.001-07:00

Here is a sneak peek of a few things that will be at the sale! It is this Friday through Sunday! We are headed up Thursday!! Be sure to follow up on the blog! http://serendip-i-ty.blogspot.com/ She is featuring my cute mom today!

Decorating with what you have!

2011-06-12T17:59:00.001-07:00

The kids stayed the night at Nana and Papas last night and I had a few hours to myself! I have recently joined Pinterest and love it! This was one of my first pins! I found it at http://akadesign.ca/. It is a great blog to check out! I will definetely be following!

My entry table was looking extra sad after sending some stuff to Serendipity that had been being stored on it! Remember when my husband spotted it out for me on the side of the road? I took the drawers off thinking that I would be able to quickly find some baskets to replace them with. Now its been a year and no such luck. They are an odd size. On to plan B… having Brandon build me some crates with pallet wood. Hopefully we will get to that soon!

I started digging through the garage and around the house and came up with this! I love the challenge of having to use what you have!

I stole the burlap table cloth off the kitchen table. I cut a few triangles from a scrap of burlap and wrote on them with permanent marker, hot glued them to some jute, tied them on to the window and added some ribbon in just a few minutes! I dug through my rubber maid of flowers and threw some left over from a garland that I had taken apart in this tin.

These candlesticks were a wedding gift and have been hiding out in the garage because they were black and I wasn’t loving them. They got a quick coat of cream spray paint and I hit them with a sanding block!

I got to play a little moving things around the rest of the house too! It needed a good re-arrange and re-vamp!

My baby is turning 3 tomorrow! Wow how time flies! We will be kickin’ it at the slash park if it is warm!

Be back later~! Amanda

Busy… busy.. busy!!

2011-06-09T11:05:00.001-07:00

Its been a while since I last said Hello! Everything made it safe and sound to Casper, WY and is ready for Serendipity. I have enjoyed the last week working on many projects that I want done for myself and getting ready for our baby boy! Just a little over a month left until we get to meet him! My baby girl is going to be 3 on Monday so we are getting ready for a polka dot swimming party too!

I finished up this chair for the living room. I thought it was fun that when I took the cushion apart I found the original tag and it was manufactured in 1926!

I painted it in Paris grey first, then old white. I distressed it and finished it with a clear wax! I am considering painting the top of my table grey. What do you think? It is chipped all over the top from the kids and needs a new paint job. I have tried paint matching and ordering paint from the manufacturer and can’t seem to come close to the cream… Maybe just the top?

I also finished a couple of summer pillows out of the left-over fabric!

We had a great weekend and enjoyed the 80+ degree weather! Our nieces stayed the night and the kids had so much fun!

I am also making progress on the boys room, the café under the stairs, and a fun sewing project for Addis birthday. I have been making some burp rags and a few things for the baby! Problem is… my sewing machine broke and I can’t justify a new one so I can only work on them here and there when I can sneak over to my moms! Stay tuned for lots more!

Love, Amanda

Serendipity

2011-05-23T12:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday and today are my last days to crank out anything for Serendipity. I am officially finished after today! What I do not get done will have to wait until the next sale. I look forward to having family this weekend and then a good month of time to finish some things around our house and get ready to meet our baby boy! I have a killer coffee table I am finished with and a dressing table I just need to line the drawers on that I will also post pictures of soon!

For now.. some chairs in old white…

I have one more of these chairs that I am saving for to re-finish with me! I think I will use the green fabric on the chair underneath and hopefully have some fabric left to do some pillows for the couch also!

and duck egg blue.

I also did some chalk boards.

This cream one I am however keeping for myself!

Some signs from some scrap wood I had laying around from Stryders bed.

Here is a picture from Serendipity's's last post! It makes me excited!

Technorati Tags: furniture redo,chairs,signs,chalkboard frames,Serendipity

My best yard sale find yet!

2011-05-15T14:16:00.001-07:00

I went to yard sales Friday and Saturday this week! Friday I scored an antique dressing table with a mirror, a great gold antique mirror, a chunky frame and two really awesome chairs!

Better yet…. Saturday I scored a 11 x9 Pottery Barn rug in awesome condition. I have no area rugs in my house because I am too cheap! You can’t even find a decent medium sized one for less than a few hundred dollars! The lady paid $1100 for it and I got it for $75!!!! She didn’t have room for it in her new house. I was a little worried I didn’t either. I thought it would be great in my family room but it was twice the size. It looks great in here! I couldn’t be more excited!

I have vowed to stay away from yard sales until after Serendipity. I have a garage full of projects and will be cranking them out in the next 9 days so stay tuned!

Notice the cute little boy in the corner of this picture!!

I also got my zinnia seeds planted for the year. I can’t wait until they look like mine did last year!

Bye for now, Amanda

Technorati Tags: yardsale,zinnias,pottery barn rug