the not so blank canvas

zach

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 15:27:00 +0000

This is Zach's room. His sister's room was one of the first ones I designed, and I'm working on his parent's bedroom now--can't wait to show you!

This is Zach's room before--pretty typical teen boy's room.I love when a room has something that at first seems like a limitation but later becomes your favorite element....Enter the wooden knee wall. I thought about painting it, but I'm so glad I decided to use it as the extra large headboard.

I've decided to add a hammock to a room every chance I get. Zach's mom had this one still in the package. I hear he's in it all the time!

Zach is very musical so I wanted to not just give him a place for his guitars, but use them as art. These guitar mounts from Palmer Music were perfect and easy to install. We went with a warm gray on the walls.

We needed side tables that were open because of the placement of the air vents. These from Target were exactly what we needed.

I had a friend call me weeks before I began this room:
"I'm shopping and I found these lights. I don't need them but they're too cool not to get--could you use them?" To which I replied, "I'll be right there!"

I found a plug remote at the hardware store so he can just click a button to turn them off and on instead of having to reach. The bedding is a chambray duvet cover and fun football sheets. Want a tip? The main bedding in a kid's room shouldn't be childish, but sheets certainly can be! And pardon the wrinkled sheets--who has time to iron sheets?

We found the football poster print on Etsy and then ordered the frame online as well. I hear that he is replacing this poster with a different player because of recent scandals. The moral of that story is don't spend a lot of money on art of your favorite players because when said players get into trouble, you'll be glad it's just a poster you have to replace!

jorgia

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 20:33:00 +0000

I finished this room a while back but forgot to share it with you.

I worked on Jorgia's older sister's room first and now it was her turn.

I'll begin the youngest of the three girls in the next few weeks.

And then I hear it's mom and dad's turn.

The space was the upstairs bonus room and Miss Jorgia wanted a corner of it to herself,

so that is what we did!

I made this valence by cutting a spare curtain panel from the other larger window and hanging it with a tension rod.

The macramé wall hanging is a table runner draped over a stick.

When I told Jorgia, "go find a stick in your yard," she had no idea why, but did it anyway. :)

Every time I work on a girl's room (so far the boys haven't been interested!), we find time to shop and paint an abstract painting using colors that will be in her room.

Handpainted walls is something I've wanted to do for a while and Jorgia's mom was willing to let me try it.

Jorgia and her sisters helped me with the yarn art hanging beside the bed. I brought an extra piece of bamboo from my yard and they cut all the yarn and helped me tie it on. Another easy way to add color to a large wall.

Furniture Rehab

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 13:55:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday friends! Yesterday I shared a recently finished room with you and today I'm sharing all of the details on the furniture. My client already had all of the furniture you'll see today, but I redid it all!

The Headboard:

Since the client wanted to move up to a queen bed and already had this headboard, I decided to try sanding it down to raw wood. Painting would be plan b if the wood wasn't pretty.

First I sanded it completely down to the bare wood and cleaned out the dust with a dry brush.

Once sanded, I thought the stain left in the crevices was a too dark so I painted it with the some of the chalk paint I used on the dresser, and then sanded again.

I wasn't sure how it would turn out--but oh my gosh I love it!

The Dresser:

This dresser belonged to the client's great great grandmother. It just needed some new paint and knobs.

After painting, I distressed and waxed it.

The Desk and Side Table:

It's amazing what new paint can do!

Thanks for stopping in today! Have a room or furniture that needs some help? Message me! I would love to work with you:)

Alpacas, sequins, and fur, oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 20:05:00 +0000

I'm beyond excited to share this room with you today. We planned it all out and then when my client went on a trip with her grandparents, we did the installation.

She was turning 10 and this room redo was her birthday present!

I'll begin with a few befores and then show you around the finished room. At the end I'll give you more design details, and tomorrow (click here to see!) I'll share all the furniture rehabs--let's just say nothing was left untouched!

This space includes so many of my favorite things: white linen bedding, hanging rattan chair, walls the color of water, an alpaca, fur, sequins, a canopy, bamboo, natural wood, collaborative abstract art... I could go on, but how about I show you?!

A couple of before pictures: you can see it's a fun room, but the client wanted a fresh new space.

Here is our final design board. After meeting in the girl's room, I typically give 2-4 design board options, we tweak them a bit and then land on one.

I chose Tidewater by Sherwin Williams for the walls.

Here we are having no fun at all...shopping, Starbucks, talking...it's actually one of my favorite things about designing girls' rooms.

After deciding on the design, I always give the client the option to shop together for some of the key pieces. I either find the other items online or continue the hunt for the perfect thing!...or make it myself as you'll see below.

Ok, I'll quit talking for a minute so you can look around. Make sure to scroll all the way through so you can see an inexpensive plant hack idea!

Can we please have a moment of silence for this cute alpaca. I smile every time I look at him!

I also give my client the option of painting an abstract with me to hang in the room. It's so important to encourage these girls in their creativity and show them they can create something beautiful!

When brushes don't do the trick we use flashcards...

...or our hands....

Here's the finished art!

This canopy was an idea I had, and my client said go for it! I'm thrilled to report that it worked! I used bamboo for the two rods.

Using several different textures on the bed is always a good idea.

I love the non-presumptuous look of this white linen.

Ok, how about a few more details---

I bought this pom pom beaded garland before we started on the room design but I knew it would be a great inspiration. The wood beads relate nicely to the other wood tones around the room--the headboard, bamboo rods with the canopy, lamps, and rattan chair.

Once again, these battery operated candles saved the day--you can put them on "timer" so they only stay on for 5 hours and won't destroy the battery life.

coasters...

a sloth, naturally...

rose gold...

If you follow me on instagram @thenotsoblankcanvas you've already seen this plant.

My client had the gold pail and the faux twig/branch/plant (what do you call this thing??) was half off.

Thanks for stopping in today. Tomorrow I will share all the furniture rehabs we did for this room, including my favorite headboard redo ever!

threadbare memories

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 14:03:00 +0000

Happy Thursday, friends! Today I want to share a post with you from 2012--it's been my most popular post by far and it's one of my favorites too.

You know I love helping with room designs and this is an easy way to make meaningful wall art for your space.

As a mother of three boys I have come across two dilemmas. Yes, only two. What to put on their bedroom walls that both they and I will like? and What to do with all of those threadbare t-shirts? You know the ones--the this is my favorite shirt so I'll just put it on the end of my bed instead of in the laundry so I can wear it again tomorrow shirts. They're worn so much that they become a sort of uniform for an age. Those shirts used to annoy me but now just the sight of them brings back so many memories. Kind of like seeing my old 10th grade KFC uniform and the memories that it brings back. Ok, not like that at all. The truth is, I miss some of those little pieces of knit.

Enter the t-shirt canvases...

I began making these when my boys were little. It takes about 5 minutes and can be an easy collage to add to as shirts are outgrown. I don't use all of their t-shirts, just the ones that spark a memory.

Begin with a canvas and a well-loved shirt.

The canvas I used today is 6x6 but you can use any size. I had to go small because this shirt is so small.

Put the canvas inside the shirt and wrap the shirt around it.

You have to finagle it a bit to get the graphic on the canvas evenly.

Grab your trusty staple gun and begin stapling around the edges.

It works best if you staple opposite sides first.

Once you've stapled the shirt enough so that it isn't pulling, cut off the excess.

All done.

You have now become an official t-shirt canvas artist.

Click here to jump to my writing blog!

So Fresh

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 01:26:00 +0000

Today I'm thrilled to share with you the second of the brothers' rooms I recently finished. Both boys wanted an update and both wanted to go light on the walls. I wanted to give them a fresh look that could be added to through the next few teenage years--I'm a strong believer in letting kids have fun with their rooms.

...a couple of befores

The design idea...

Fresh is the one word that comes to mind with this room. Remember this song?

Coolest rug ever...

The other side of the quilt is dark denim. I think you'll see it in another pic.

...the coolest side table/shelf...

He needed new furniture so we ordered this grayed wood dresser and headboard.

Oh hello reversible quilt with your cool dark denim.

Thanks for stopping by everyone. Need some help with a room or space of your own? Give me a shout--I would love to work with you!

If only I were as cool as this room

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 13:30:00 +0000

I'm excited to share with you today's room, but first--

The Not So Blank Canvas now decorates boy rooms too.

When I began room decorating, I imagined only working on rooms for girls since I have a "girl room deficit" at my house.

But after working on the two rooms that I'll share today and tomorrow, I've learned that kicking up the *cool* factor in a boy's room is equally as fun as increasing the *dreamy* factor in a girl's room!

Ok, now for today's room...

Oh, and also, I've also realized that most of you don't want tons of commentary on the pics...hopefully they speak for themselves.

So Enjoy!

~before~

Both brothers wanted a wall mural. For this room we went with this surfer and then added some subtle nautical touches around the room.

These candles are battery powered and operate on a timer!

The day before the room installation, our outdoor hammock broke...so thanks to rain, heavy boys who swing too high, and outdoor hammocks that really aren't *outdoor* friendly, we have the perfect wall art.

Thanks friends.

Want a room refresh of your own? Give me a shout!

wallflowers aren't so bad

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 18 May 2018 19:02:00 +0000

Happy Friday!!

Today I get to share the room I worked on for the sister of the room I shared with you on Wednesday

This sweet girl is 7 and super excited about her new room!

I knew that just lightening up the walls would make a huge difference, so once again I used the trim color (Divine White) at 75%.

Divine White

Raindrop

After trying several colors (those are samples I already had), I decided on a mixture of this color, Raindrop (SW), and the wall paint.

...love the distressed details on this framed mirror...

For the bed, my client found this twin trundle online. It was worn and chipped, but instead of painting it I sanded and distressed it. It's so pretty in person!

The girls already owned these flowers, but hanging them together made such a statement.

I love these details.

You might remember from Wednesday's post that both girls wanted canopies over their bed; this one is similar to the pink one but is dip dyed in aqua.

We had so much fun painting together. They did a great job and I love how their painting looks in their space.

I adore these lamps.

We were looking for the perfect dresser, and right before she was about to spend several hundred on a new one, she texted me this photo--"this is an old one at my mother in laws, you don't think we can use this do you?" Haha, Of course!!! So I painted it, bought new knobs and rub n buffed the handles. It's definitely one of my favorite furniture redoes I've done.

I love this "I am a child of God" word art, but is was a little small. I've had this spray painted frame in my garage for years. I'm so glad to finally have a use for it!

Thanks for stopping in and have a great weekend!!

Need some design help too? Give me a shout!

Plenty of pink

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 17 May 2018 00:38:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday friends. Today I'm sharing a room that shows how a love of pink doesn't always mean pink walls.

I've been working on two rooms for two precious sisters and I'm excited to share one with you today! First up, is the oldest sister's room; she's 9.

Her room was cute before I got started, but they were wanting something a little more custom and different. The walls were pink, and while we totally could have left them alone, I knew going lighter would make such a difference.

I chose Divine White (at 75%), by Sherwin Williams for the wall color. It's a soft creamy color. The trim was already painted Divine White but I wanted to go a smidge lighter on the walls. For the ceiling I used Romance, also by SW, but after painting a swatch I decided to mix a little of the wall paint with it to get the right intensity.

Painting a ceiling can be tricky because the color can reflect on the walls and cause them to look off. Thankfully, this ceiling reflects in the best way on the lighter walls--depending on the light and time of day sometimes it looks like the whole room is the perfect shade of blush and sometimes it looks like the soft neutral that it is.

I've painted a color on the ceiling several times and I've learned if you want to try it, you need to be willing to try a few sample colors, and maybe even redo it once or twice to get it just right.

I replaced the chandelier with this simple shade and pendant.

The base was silver so I painted it gold. (I know you're surprised.)

My client found this desk at a local flea market. I decided to sand it down to bare wood instead of painting it.

I applied wall paper to the back of the shelves and used rub-n-buff on the knobs.

I've heard that the girls sit at the desk together and "work" for hours..

...love the art of natural wood...

Here's my trick for adding plants that are long lasting...

I don't love fake plants, but these were $3 and look real, so there ya go.

The girls came over on a Saturday to paint their abstracts with me. They were super excited to paint and even more excited to include their art in the design.

We had so much fun, ate lots of brownies...

they even learned how to tump my son out of the hammock when we finished.

I think their art is my favorite part of the room.

Both girls wanted a canopy over their bed so I found these online. You can't tell in the photo, but this one is dip dyed pink at the bottom.

I used the curtain ties to add trim to the lamp shades.

Adding trim to something is always a good idea.

My client found this dresser online. I usually change knobs but I liked how subtle these were so I left it as is.

...reading corner...

I'll share her sister's room tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Need some design help? Click here for more details.

DK

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:06:00 +0000

Happy Spring/Summer/Winter everyone!...not sure which day you'll be reading this and so far the week has felt like all three!

I wanted to share with you a space I've been working on for the sweetest girl and the sweetest family.

Jodi is a friend of mine from childhood. In fact, I can't remember not knowing her. It was such a treat working with her and her daughter.

Last week another friend posted this online..

I present to you the spelling bee winners from 1982. Jodi is middle back row and I am front right. A few questions I have from this picture--why are there so many winners and why are there no boys?

Ok, back to the design...

I first met with them a while before I was able to begin (hence the Christmas decor). Their home is gorgeous with lots of great earth tones. The room was a bit dark and they were hoping for a more light and fresh feel. She wanted to still use turquoise, black and white. They also decided to keep all their furniture. Eventually they plan to get a daybed, so all the bedding will work great for that size bed too.

Shopping for these rooms is so fun. We were checking out when DK spotted this chair, plopped in it and declared "this is the one."

Since they live in another town, we kept all of the stuff at my house until install day.

I decided to sand and distress the bed since there were several scuffs. I've done this to lots of furniture over the years--it's easy and inexpensive and if you don't like it, it's already prepped for new paint.

DK helped me paint the abstract you see in the next photo. She painted a few other canvases you'll see on the walls too.

I love helping girls use their creativity and then seeing their art included in the room.

I remember the first time a friend used the word "creative" and "artist" to describe me--I had never thought of myself like that before, and just hearing the words almost made me cry. It's amazing how much power words carry.

For the wall color, I knew I wanted to go lighter, but wanted to stay within the color scheme of the rest of their house so we went with the lightest shade on the color strip the builder used for the rest of the house.

We worked all day on the install so these girls had been waiting a long time. Her sisters' squeals of delight were the highlight of the day!

This lamp with it's black base and black and white chord was made for this room.

You can also see the black and white sheets we found on clearance.

The only thing I did to the desk was sprayed the handles gold. We found this chair online and the trash can was in the bathroom hiding behind the toilet!

We went with a fitted sheet on the box spring instead of a bedskirt.

This chair was a great find, it's so comfortable. The light that will hang above it is on back order and will be here next month. I'll update the photo when it's installed.

Hanging flat sheets with curtain clips is another inexpensive trick. I love special window treatments, but sometimes having something simple and white works wonders to help calm and soften a space.

Since she loves pillows as much as I do, we went for it! So many textures. My favorite is the blue sequin body pillow that you can hardly see in this photo--it is so big and the color is divine.

I've heard that she has made her bed every day since...

I found this black ladder online and used it to balance the mirror that's on the other side of the dresser. I ordered the cutest lights to string on the ladder, but they started smoking when we put the battery in so Jodi raided her attic for Christmas lights as a temporary fix.

...cute little print I found in a box in her room...

The TV was already installed so I made it a gallery wall. Some of the items we found on our shopping trip, some things I found in her room, and some we painted onsite.

...new knobs...

...lots of textures...

...letterboards add fun and personality... Her last name is Coffee, btw:)

...new furry chair, new sequins!...

...new wall color with new black and white accessories...

...new curved shower rod for more room in the shower, along with this adorable new curtain...

Thanks for taking a look everyone.

Need some design help too?

Click here!

Have a great week:)

Eek! Adorn Room Design Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 01:59:00 +0000

I'm thrilled to share this space with you! But before you start scrolling, let me tell you about my client, Sydney.

She knows what she likes, she's smart, creative, determined, full of personality, loves to act, sew, draw--so pretty much you'd all like to be her BFF! Working with her and her mom was such a treat. Her parents gave her this room makeover for her 13th birthday. And since she also likes to shop, she went with me to purchase a lot of the things you see in her room. We had the best time!

Her room before was cute, but was ready to grow up a few years and needed a cohesive look to which she could easily add as much quirk as she wanted. She had a precious doll house she wanted to move out, stuffed animals that were ready to pass along, and a hubcap collection she wanted to feature.

I gave Sydney two design boards and she chose this one. In choosing the color palette, there were a few things that guided our decisions.

*They wanted to keep the khaki upholstered headboard.

*They were willing to change the wall color but would rather not paint a lot.

*She had a dark jade/turquoise pillow she wanted to work around, which I think only ended up in one of the pics, but it's there.

*The bed would stay in the same place because there really was nowhere else it would fit.

The wall color above the chair rail was agreeable gray and the bottom was a darker color. In an effort to lighten the room I decided to carry the lighter, agreeable gray, all the way down the wall. Not only did this lighten the room, but it also required less painting and helped the lighter color read more like a warm gray and less like a light brown.

After deciding on the wall color, I picked the bedding.

Aww, the bedding.

The embroidered details and tassels are divine! The color is perfect too. I used the color of the details on the bedding for the closet/desk nook (keep scrolling to see).

it's called deep sea dive

We later discovered this color is similar to Sherwin Williams 2018 color of the year. For the rest of the colors, I added blush pink, white, and gold.

When I asked about the hubcaps, Sydney said, "I found some on my walk home from school" and then a friend gave her a couple at her 13th birthday party (which was an 80's murder mystery party!).

After choosing the colors, it was an easy decision to paint the hubcaps gold. I hung them with simple pushpins so if she decides to move them, no biggie.

Since she had two closets, I made one into a desk nook. Her dad removed the doors, reconfigured the shelves and painted it the same color as the dark details on her bedding. Have I told you how much I like this color!?

I used a clear acrylic chair so the color would remain as visible and unobstructed as possible. The light wood legs tie in with her corkboard and with the small side table between the bed and wall.

The canopy was something she knew she wanted from our very first meeting--hanging it was simple and I think it's her favorite part of the room. She can interchange any of the throw pillows from the bed.

I added a piece of bamboo wrapped in white twinkle lights to the corner for added glow and interest.

I replaced her curtains with these white tassel panels. They are soft and calming and still allow plenty of light in when the blinds are open.

The polka dotted heart pillow was one of the things she instantly grabbed on our shopping trip. I love that it ties in with the colors and look but still adds a smidge of quirk to the room.

I can't say enough about this chandelier. It's a plug-in light with hanging shell-like discs that make the softest wind chime sound when her ceiling fan is on high. So dreamy.

I like this "hello gorgeous" pillow as a subtle reminder...something every girl needs!

...a close up of those divine details.

The second-hand dresser I found was fine the way it was, except that the yellow undertones looked wonky with the wall color so I painted and distressed it and added new golden knobs.

I love to use small dressers for side tables.

We found this wooden side table on our shopping trip--a definite score. Probably the hardest part of designing is finding cool stuff that I want to keep for myself!

In its former life, this light pendant was a wire trashcan. I bought it for myself months ago but never used it so I turned it into a pendant light for Sydney's desk nook. Her dad sprayed it gold and attached it to a simple plug light.

Oh tassels.

Two other favorites in the room--the pink throw is the softest I've ever felt, and the gold bedside lamp is a touch lamp. (Touch lamps are the best--I have one on either side of my own bed (circa 1980), I don't know if I can ever go back to using a switch lamp.)

Well, friends that's all for now. I had so much fun hearing from mom and daughter about what they'd like, dreaming a bit, designing, shopping, and now seeing it all come together.

Creating a space that's a reflexion of Sydney's personality and ideas, and then knowing that she has a refuge that feels like "her" is pretty much the best gig around!

Interested in an Adorn Room Design room? Click here for more information and details!

The Not So Blank Canvas Design Help

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 15:23:00 +0000

Update: Need some design help in other areas of your home? Help picking a color, flooring, new bedding...a room makeover of your own? I can do as small or large a job as you need, just give me a shout!

Ok, back to the original post....

Here at The Not So Blank Canvas, I know a few things::

Girls need a space to reflect their personality and style.

&
I love creating rooms with personality and style.

So.......

I'm beginning a new project with The Not So Blank Canvas:

~room design for girls~

So how do you know you need to give me a call?

Do you have a daughter who would love to prettify her room but doesn't know where to begin?

Do design decisions paralyze you?

Do you try to shop together, but end up with nothing more than a half eaten bag of popcorn from Target? Or maybe a basket full of things to return?

Do you feel as though coming to a consensus with her is impossible?
Do you need a gift idea for a granddaughter, niece, cousin, etc?

At The Not So Blank Canvas...
We love to work with teens--their expression and ideas are so inspiring.
We love to discover and display their personal style.
We love to create a room that reminds them that they are cared for, and inspires them to be who they were created to be--unique, beautiful, fun, thoughtful...

Here's how it works:

**Note, if you are not local, our consult will be via phone and photos and your design board will be online, complete with links to all items.

1) We meet to chat about ideas, dream together, plan, hear from mom about the budget, the "no ways" and the "most definitelies." At the end of this meeting mom and daughter both complete a survey to help identify the style and needs of the space.

2) After timeline and budget is decided upon, we get to work. Depending on your budget, we can have a one-time consultation to help you get going or we can do a complete room design, decorating, and installation...or something in between.

Here are some of the fun tasks that can be included in your design experience:

design board
floor and space planning
pinterest board--specifically for the space, giving access to you both--access to view and access to add to it
shopping list--furniture or simply decor
shopping trips
color consult
bedding update
sourcing of wall painting, furniture painting, etc
room installation
sourcing of custom artwork by various local artists

Pricing:

Design Direction

2 hour coaching session (we’ll tour your space, give you ideas, answer questions regarding colors, layout, etc.)

Investment: $75*

Design Help

2 hour consult (can be split into two one-hour times)

mom/daughter style survey

Shopping guide with links

Design Board (detailed action plan for the room)

Investment: $200*

Design Makeover

3 hour Consults--can be split into 3 one hour times

mom/daughter survey

Shopping guide with links

2 Design board options, including unlimited edits

Shopping trips

room install and arrangement

Investment: $525*

*design fee does not include cost of room purchases

Sound Fun? Give me a shout and let's start dreaming about your space. I can't wait to work with you!

You can message me on Facebook or on Instagram @thenotsoblankcanvas

the painted pillow

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:33:00 +0000

When I ordered this pillow cover from h&m I didn't know what I'd do with it, but knew that the possibilities were worth $4.99. By the way, who knew that h&m had such great bedding!? My mom got the boys linen duvet covers and shams for Christmas from there, and we love them.

I honestly don't have any photos of the painting process because I really didn't think I would like it, and especially wouldn't post about it.

But one day as I was painting the canvas you see the corner of this photo, I decided to experiment with painting on the pillow cover.

I placed a piece of cardboard inside the cover (there's a zipper in the back) so it wouldn't bleed through. I used both fabric paint and acrylic paint.

After it dried, I removed the cardboard and put the pillow form in the cover.

I love the way it turned out!

I should probably make a disclaimer that this is not the pillow you'll snuggle up with--it is not soft. It's just a simple way to add color to a room.

Wouldn't this be a fun project to do with your daughter for her room?

You can barely tell in the photos, but the gold that I used was metallic so in person it catches light--so fun!

I found the turquoise chair at a flea market in Shreveport. I didn't even have to paint it! The frame on the wall is from the trash, and the branch is one that was on our porch one day that I decided to hot glue it to my wall. Don't worry, it comes off easily.

One more thing--do y'all have the Color Snap App from Sherwin Williams? You can take any photo and match the colors to make a color pallette. So if you have trouble putting colors together for projects like this or for decorating a room, you could use a picture to get started.

Here are a few photos that inspired me to make a color snap pallette. Once it matches all the colors, you can click on any of the small squares at the bottom to see the name and number of the color.

etsy & a coupon code

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 16:04:00 +0000

thenotsoblankcanvas.etsy.com

Happy Wednesday friends! I've reopened my etsy shop with just a few pieces that I have on hand. I'm hoping to get a chance to paint this weekend so stay tuned for more pieces next week!

Use coupon code: HAPPY2016 and save 10%

the never ending t-shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 14:50:00 +0000

Last week I told you how I often use shirts and sheets, or any fabric I can get my hands on, to make pillows.

I didn't start this because of clever creativity but more out of necessity and limitations.

I wrote a few years ago about one way I repurpose outgrown t-shirts.

Of course there are a lot of t-shirts that come and go with little emotional affect, but then there are those that bring a flood of memories.

You see that Detroit Dogs shirt above? This was the shirt my middle son wore when he was five. For what seemed like the whole year. With orange basketball shorts that were too big (anyone else have sons who liked shorts so big they looked like a skirt? or kolots?). The grey shirt with the red football on it was a toddler shirt. All three of my boys wore it--I get teary eyed thinking about my little chubby boys in that shirt and a diaper. Anyway, so you get my point.

Today I want to show you how easy it is to make pillows from a t-shirt.

This shirt is not as much of a memory for me, but it is for my youngest. He is 9 and into all things sports. And yes our team is called the Wampus Cats--a six legged cat--4 to run the speed of light and 2 to fight with all its might.

He was so sad when we declared this shirt outgrown so I quickly pulled out the machine and got to work. I may have a throw pillow accumulation problem which my kids do not share, but they'll agree to having extra ("they aren't extra, they are necessary!") pillows if they're cool.

Keep in mind that the definition of cool changes often and suddenly--rule number 523 of parenting.

The tricky part of t-shirt pillows is getting the logo centered if the shirt isn't very large. I didn't do a great job with this one but no worries.

As I've said in other posts, I always draw straight lines to help.

I wait and cut the excess after it's sewn in case I make a mistake.

And don't forget to use a pillow form that's a little bigger than your pillow so it will be nice and full.

The pillow sham on his bed (which looks empty in this pic) is one I made years ago out of my husband's old dress shirts and pajama pants (!), which is fitting because it's for the son who would permanently attach himself to his dad if he could...

The Resurrection of a Cart

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 14:56:00 +0000

Granny Grant had this little cart for years.

It was originally chrome and 70's green, but then she spray painted it the color you see below when she wanted an update (Oh Granny, we are alike in so many ways...).

We were cleaning out her house when she moved and would you believe this was headed for the trash!? Obviously not everyone has cart-love like I do.

My husband said "no way" but we all know there are times to be stubborn. This was one of those times.

I used my electric sander on each piece until it felt smooth. I wasn't trying to remove all the paint, I just wanted it to feel smooth so that the chipped paint wouldn't show.

I could have spray painted it without taking it apart but I don't like how pieces look when they've been sprayed and creases are painted and eventually crack.

These screws were caked with paint so I used my sander on each one to remove the paint. Putting them in a piece of cardboard makes spraying them quick and easy.

I asked my friends what color they thought I used. Don't you love their ideas and guesses?!
Funny that no one said gold...

For smaller projects I like rub-n-buff or gold leaf (you can see a scrap of gold leaf from another project on the counter in this picture).

The first round of spray paint resulted in a color that was more bronze than I wanted so I did a second coat with this paint. I really like the color.

Here's a close up.

I'm still not sure what I should put on it--y'all have any ideas? I looked online and mostly saw pictures of carts used as wet bars.

I love the thought of having a cart in the kitchen or using it when people are over for snacks and drinks, but for now I've nestled it here.

DIY Shibori with Bleach

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 21:11:00 +0000

Do a quick google search for shibori fabric and you'll find beautiful indigo, navy, and cobalt images like these.

I've noticed this trend and wanted to try a diy version when I had several extra yards of denim left from my ottoman makeover.

When I see something I like, my first thought is usually, "hmm, I'm going to try that myself"--please tell me I'm not the only one!

A lot of projects don't work out, but I'll save those for another post.

This fabric, a lighter chambray on one side, which is what I used on the ottoman, and a darker design on the other, was inexpensive at less than $10/yard.

I've used Rit dye before to change the color of a dingy coverlet, but since this fabric was already blue I thought I'd try using bleach in the same way.
I'd never used bleach anywhere besides the washing machine so I first tested this little scrap to see if it would work.

I wanted 20x20 pillows so I measured four 24x24 squares and rubberbanded each piece.

Just like when using dye, you could also fold the fabric or make other designs with rubberbands.

I filled my sink with bleach and water (probably about a cup of bleach per gallon of water but I didn't measure so that's not exact) and let them soak, completely immersed in the water/bleach mixture until they were bleached.

I probably should have actually washed them with soap but I was too impatient so I rinsed them with cold water after cutting off the rubberbands.

I really like the design of the unbleached areas.

Here's a close up of the chambray side when it's dry.

A piece of this fabric in a frame or wrapped around a canvas would make fun art. You could even use a large piece of fabric to make a headboard.

I'm not an expert at making pillows at all but there are a few things my mom taught me that are useful.

The first is that a lot of fabrics will rip straight, which is what I did with this fabric. I'm a horrible straight-line cutter so this really helps.

I like to iron the fabric to make it easier to work with--I don't always do this but it helps if you have the time.

I also use a straight edge to measure and even draw a line to help me sew a straight line. I used a sharpie because I knew it wouldn't show through, but you can use a disappearing fabric marker if your fabric is thin or transparent.

Pin your fabric.

Start sewing!

If you've never sewn before, please please give it a try.

I started years ago because I wanted to decorate my home but could barely afford the dollar fabric at walmart.

I used my husband's old dress shirts to make the boys' pillow shams, sheets for curtains, old shirts for throw pillows...no unused fabric was safe from being repurposed.

My early projects were extremely imperfect. Extremely.
I still make mistakes and have to call my mom (she still talks me through threading the machine every time) or watch tutorials, but practicing is so fun.

Use your reverse any time you begin or end a stitch.

When you reach a corner, stop sewing, leave the needle in the fabric, raise the foot, spin the fabric, and lower the foot.

When you're finished you'll want to trim the excess fabric before turning the pillow right side out. It's also good to trim the corners so there is less fabric when it's turned.

I used my machine to sew the pillows but then hand stitched the last bit after putting the pillow form inside.

I've noticed that pillows look best when the form you use has a bit of down in them and are 2-4 inches larger than your pillow will be. I used 24x24 forms for these 20x20 pillows.

I couldn't decide between the light chambray or the darker denim so the pillows are different on each side--one side is light and one is dark.

I considered adding some sort of trim or tassels to them but decided not to because I may end up putting them on my sons' beds when I need a change.

I bet they wouldn't appreciate hot pink trim as much as I do!

*If you'd like more help with making your first throw pillows, here's a link to a helpful video.

navy love

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 20:55:00 +0000

link

Let's start today with a confession: I tend to get totally caught up in the current color trends. I actually think talking about color and color combinations is my love language.

I remember the last time I liked navy we were pairing it with maroon and emerald green, but the new color combinations are so refreshing.

Add light grey, fuschia, lime green, or turqouise to any room with navy and have an instant update.

I found this ottoman at a local thrift store. Thinking I'd recover it myself, I ripped the ugly, dirty, brown velour off the day I brought it home.

And then it sat in our room for months.

It took me a while to make peace with the fact that I was going to need a professional to recover it. I may or may not have told my husband that an easy Christmas gift for me would be if he dropped it off at the reupholsterer and paid to have it recovered. And he may or may not have jumped at the proposition.

The fabric was inexpensive at less than $10/yard. It was chambray on one side and a darker denim design on the other. I chose to use the chambray side for the ottoman.

We've loved having something soft to put our feet on and we move it around and use it as a seat when we have a lot of people over.

Or sometimes 9 year olds fall asleep on it when the Oscars run past their bedtime.

wading in the deep

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 15:26:00 +0000

wading in the deep

Happy Friday friends! Aren't you glad it's the weekend?

I'm excited to share my other blog with you today. Right now it's a place where I house my written thoughts. Some are assignments from a writing group that I've started (I adore this group), and some are devotionals that I've been working on for awhile. I wouldn't consider myself a writer but someone who loves to think about life and God and puts those thoughts on paper...and now on a screen.

So even though it feels especially vulnerable, way more than sharing my latest art piece or project, I feel that I should share the invisible work that God has been doing just as much as I share the visible that I've been doing. Enjoy!

marbelized art

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 21:23:00 +0000

The DIY I'm sharing with you today is easy, inexpensive, and colorful. I'm always looking for colorful art for my walls.

I loved Oh happy day's tutorial on how to marbleize ribbon (isn't that the coolest!) so I thought I would try it on a few small canvases I had. If it turned out, great, and if not I would just paint over them. This is the attitude I have to have with all diys because goodness knows I've had lots of fails.

What you need:
shallow pan that you won't mind tossing when you're done
3-5 colors of fingernail polish--get the cheap kind
skewer or tongs, I used popsicle sticks because I bought a package in 1988 and still have so many
canvas or whatever you are wanting to marbleize
cover your surface because this can be messy
Since this is way smellier than you would think, open windows or do this outside.

Fill pan with a few inches of water

You'll want to do the next few steps super fast because the fingernail polish dries quickly when it's in the water--this is why there are no photos of dipping the canvases in the water.

Open the polishes and pour them into water, use skewer to drag paint around a little.

Dip the surface of your canvas in the water. It really just needs to touch the surface, don't plunge it deep. The canvas will grabbed the paint instantly.

Raise it up but leave it facedown for a few seconds to allow it to drip. Turn your canvas over (do this move quickly so the paint stays in its original place) and put on covered surface to dry.

I also did the same thing for the edges, but you could leave them white if you want.

It's always nice to have the help of a buddy when you're doing a project!

After we finished all of them , we put them in the garage to dry overnight because we didn't want them to dry outside but also didn't want our entire family to get loopy from the fumes. Using a flattened box as a drop cloth makes carrying them easy.

I hung my favorite three together on a narrow wall space. You could use larger canvases but you'd need to have a large enough container for the water and polish that you wouldn't mind throwing away when you're finished.

duct duck goose

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 19:29:00 +0000

If you follow me on instagram, you've seen my duct tape wall...or is it duck tape?

I had seen a room with tape for stripes, so when I saw GOLD TAPE at Kroger (what!?), I had to grab it!

Our entry needed a little something so why not, I thought?

It was a day that I had people coming over in a few hours and I should have been cleaning or cooking or cramming piles of clutter in drawers, but when inspiration strikes...

The only reason I did such random lines was so I didn't have to measure or get anything exact. Rulers (and timers) are not by bff.

I used scissors to cut the edges which is why they are a bit wonky. A sharp exacto knife probably would have worked better, but oh well.

Here's the funny part, there are two very different responses to this wall. Some get it and have even tried something similar in their own homes. But when others see it, the conversation goes something like this--

them: oh, are you going to paint over that tape?
me: nope, just leaving it like it is.
them: oh-ohkaay.

I guess we have to be ok with people not getting it.

True creativity is birthed when we can get beyond wanting everyone to understand our design or art or clothing.

How not fun would it be if everyone got everything about us!?

Trying to "fit in" to the design world, or any "world" really (remember middle school?),

makes us paralyzed and unable to make a decision--trust me, I've been there.

Eventually you either have to make decisions and learn your own likes and dislikes, you never do anything, or you play it really safe and your home ends up feeling very generic--I've been there too.

Hello dead wreath.

What are some of your design ideas that not everyone understood?

And in case you completely zoned out trying to figure out if it's duct or duck tape, go here.

the writing on the wall

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 17:40:00 +0000

I couldn’t get them out of my mind. Over and over, minute by minute, day after day. These thoughts, this movie reel of all the things. The things I wasn’t good at, the things I had done wrong, my weaknesses, my sin…the ways I had failed and thought I had failed.

I was putting on my mascara for goodness sakes—what was wrong with me? “I’m not…I should have…I can’t believe I…I’m so…too much…not enough…” They were all I could think about. They were heavy. They were persistent.

I sensed a nudge to write them down. So I wrote--things that are embarrassing to admit now, but these were my chains. Pages. I was plagued with these thoughts. As I skimmed the paper I had just filled I saw it—I was being accused.

Then a moment I will never forget. Words I had read days before were brought into my mind just as timely as a drop of rain on a drought-ridden land.

But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

…Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,

Imagine my delight reading these words—without blemish…free from accusation…no condemnation…set me free…what the law was powerless to do, God did…in order that the righteous requirements might be fully met in us. Really? No accusation? No condemnation? None? Not even one? Not even one. I was not condemned, but set free. Set free? Completely free? Yes, completely.

I had been living under the accusations, believing that they were an accurate commentary on my life. But they weren’t the truth about me at all. The truth would have set me free, not locked me up.

The accuser was my enemy and fed me this mixtape of self-focus and despair, making me paralyzed and hopeless. He does that doesn’t he? He is never short supply of past sins, regrets, and misinterpretations of others’ thoughts and actions toward us. He glories in our inward focus and abhors when our eyes are lifted. He causes us to question God and His heart for us, painting all of life a dark shade of grey, trying to convince us that that’s life’s actual color.

But these words, these life-giving words that began seeping in, were acquitting me. No, not just acquitting me, they were exposing the mess that was my mind and shining the light on all that my Jesus did. He took it all. Were some of these true? Sure, some were, but in Christ I was no longer identified, labeled, or even guilty for them. In Christ, I possessed the perfect righteousness that was His. It was unfair, really—this trade He made. He took all of my weaknesses and sins—accurate or perceived, large or small, and traded all of Himself for it. He traded the accuser's words that were bringing death for His freedom-words of life. He was condemned so I could be set free. That’s hard to get, but in this moment, I got it. He wasn’t just loosening the chains, giving me room to move around in them, He was cutting them into pieces giving complete freedom.

I’m not sure why living in this freedom feels like such a fight. My mind drifts to accusations like these often, but this cycle of redemption brings sweet intimacy: I see the mess, even live in it for a time—He reminds me of the cross, that He’s the chain breaker—the words that give life remind me that in Him I’m not accused—He draws me close—I live in freedom and awe. I’m free. And I am undone. Because He is undoing me. This is truth, this is the truth we live in and invite others to enjoy. He alone gives freedom and life.

After posting my sharpie walls on instagram a few days ago, I decided to share with you the story of these walls.

I guess I didn't actually give you a 'how to' because the how to is:

Paint your walls,

write whatever you want on them with a large sharpie. The end.

But as my 8 year old sat on the top of the potty (this is in an itty bitty potty room), with Bible in hand, reading Romans 8 to me as I teetered on a stool and wrote, I asked God to write these words on my heart and the heart of everyone who entered this little room. And I think He is.

design boards are my new bff

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 17:35:00 +0000

I'm teaming up with the fun people at Chairish today to create a design board inspired by one of their amazing rugs.

In answering their question of how I like to infuse color into a space, I would say the easiest way is to use something colorful that you love as your inspiration--a rug, a pillow, a dish towel, anything really.

Don't just pick one color you like or you'll constantly be asking, "does this go?" and annoy the heck out of your friends (not that I've ever done that, of course!).

If you pick a piece that already has great color combinations then you already know it works well together.

This rug was said inspiration. If you look closely, you'll see red, gold, cream, blue, purple, black--it's easier to design a room when you already have great colors like these.

Surely you've heard of Chairish, right? It is an oh so cool website where design lovers buy and sell their fabulous finds. Whether you're wanting to sell, buy or just be inspired by their creativity, you won't be disappointed.

Here are the sources for all of these great pieces:

The rug was the original inspiration from Chairish and can be found here. They have a lot of great rugs.

This couch--the color, the fabric, the shape, I love it so...

You can find it at One Kings Lane.

I would paint the room white and install this lovely wallpaper from Houzz on one wall.

You can find this side table here; it's also from Chairish.

Stak Studio on Etsy

I love this table but in real life I would need to have rounded edges. Glass corners and rowdy boys do not mix well.

All pillows are from Sukan Handmade Design, also on Etsy.

You won't believe this light--it is a DIY at One Kings Lane.

They give detailed instructions on their site. So cool.

Gerhard Richter (I can dream, can't I?!)

A friend of mine, Raina Hampton painted this piece. Such talent!

Swing Chair is from Urban outfitters--because we wouldn't want our room to take itself too seriously.

This sunburst mirror is also a Chairish find.

And of course this piece can be found here.

This has been such a fun project. Have you ever created a design board? I'd love to know your favorite finds or tips.

the making of a light...and a nook...and a boy...

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 18:02:00 +0000

Since our oldest has a large closet, way larger than he needs, we decided to make a desk nook on one side of it. The most fun part was making the light for only a few dollars. We've done this many times before, and so far it never gets old.

All you need is a pendant light kit, like this one from Hobby Lobby (make sure to use your 40% off coupon), some sort of basket--I used a wire one here (also from the hobs for half off), and maybe a zip tie.

Thread the pendant wire through the basket. It's best to do this without the light bulb, but I was impatient so I risked shattering glass everywhere.

Attach the pendant to the basket. I used a zip tie on this light but the type of basket will determine what you use, if anything.

Now you're ready to attach your light. You can use a small hook or staple gun (just don't puncture the wire). I used both on this project, the hook to hang the light and staples to keep the wire in place.

Here's another cool idea for hanging these lights.

design sponge

For the rest of this project, I used black chalkboard paint that I had on hand for the wall. We had the two wooden planks from another project so we painted them and attached them to the wall. The chair is from Wal-Mart years ago. (You'll remember this post where I sang the praises of these chairs--and we still love them. Unfortunately they are no longer $15, but I would gladly pay more because they have all lasted and OH MY GOSH WE ARE SO ROUGH ON EVERYTHING!) And the poster came from The Rusted Arrow. I didn't want to do a lot to this space because the idea is to not be distracted and SIT AND STUDY. But we'll see about that. Where do you and your family like to read and study?

love love love

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:13:00 +0000

Just posted some new pieces to my Etsy shop.

Happy Valentine's Day!