The Shabby Creek Cottage - interior design and home remodeling on a budget

the one where I swiped the sawhorses

2012-02-27T12:39:00.000-06:00

When I’m on a decorating kick, anything in my barn is fair game. Barbed wire wreath? Bring it on. Scrappy old wood? Cut me off a piece of that. Weird, wonky car parts? Spray paint, please! Yep, anything that stands still in my path just might get a new life.

My latest adventure involves a new desk. Mr. SCC built one for me back last summer, but we had some back to back sales at our booth and nothing to put in there. My desk went to fill the gap, thinking it would take a while to sell, so we could get something else to replace it. Little did I know that it would sell in a week. Buh-bye pretty desk.

For a few months, I’ve had an empty wall without a desk… and I was pretty tired of looking at it. You know those moments when you wake up and want something NOW? It was one of those days.

Like always, I went to the barn looking for something, anything that would work to hold up some wood and make me a new desk. I dug around, flipped stuff around, mulled it all over, and even said a few un-southern-belle-ish words as I stubbed my toe. Nothing. Drats.
I walked out of the barn and what did I see? Sawhorses. Two of ‘em. Now we’re talking! I mean, they’re meant to hold up wood… so why not use them to hold a desk top. So I stole Mr. SCC’s sawhorses. Yeah, they need a little paint – but hopefully I can get them finished and into the house before he even knows they’re missing. Wonder how long it will take him to notice?

On a totally unrelated note: I am so thankful to be nominated for The Homies over at Apartment Therapy. It is such an amazing honor, and I would be so grateful for your votes. I’ve been included in the Home Design & DIY categories (though in the DIY you’ll need to look for theshabbycreekcottage to find me.) Thank you soooo much!

Friday night fun with a friend

2012-02-27T08:56:00.001-06:00

Antique auctions have always intimated me a little, walking in without an idea of what you’re bidding on against a room full of folks in the know. It’s always been a dream world that I wanted permission to enter… but never found the gumption to jump into. Luckily, I have a new friend that’s got the inside scoop.

I first met Candy when I went to her shop a few weeks ago – and we’ve become fast friends. In a relatively small town, I don’t have a ton of friends who “get” this crazy thing that I do – but she gets it, and has been living a handmade kinda life for over 20 years. She really, really gets it.

When she invited me to go out with her on Friday night, I just couldn’t say no. I had missed a Blissdom meet up the day before because my dad was in the hospital – but he was home safe and sound by Friday afternoon, so I went with Candy to her favorite local antiques auction. (Sorry – can’t reveal where it is… she would KILL me! :)

She was so spot on! Walking in was like diving into a dream world full of beautiful old primitives and fine antiques. If I would have had unlimited funds I’d have been in trouble! The only trouble was that the place was packed, so items went for a higher price than I would have paid. Except one little lot…
During the preview time, I found this pretty little tool box – filled with all sorts of junk. It looked like a crappy lot – but look at this box.
Sooo chippy and beautifully worn. It made me think of my buddy Donna when I first saw it. Instant love affair. Among all the “junk” was one piece that I knew I wanted.
I’ve been wanting one of these for a long, long while! And… I know just where I’m going to use it :) It’ll be one of those things that has to wait for a while – but I can see my {yet to be built} pergola in my head, and this holding a beautiful candelabra in the middle. Real candles and all.
Guess it’s time for Mr. SCC to get to buildin’…

Pinteresting

2012-02-24T14:23:00.002-06:00

Since I’m knee deep in a complete shop overhaul, I thought I’d share some fun new stuff I’ve learned while ~~being distracted by~~ surfing Pinterest. Some of it is just common sense while some is like WHAATTT??!!?? Seriously some neat tricks, though!

I’m a big fan of pinning from the original source – so I’m not going to share photos, but you can learn how to:

amplify your iPhone (or iPod) with a common household item
keep a pot from boiling over
organize those 1 million & 1 cords that are in a jumble
hull strawberries without a senseless tool
and just for my handmade peeps out there: 21 ways to increase your sales on Etsy.

I could go on and on forever… but I gotta lotta sewing left to do :) Wanna see what I’m pinning? Follow me on Pinterest!

How to make your own bias tape

2012-02-22T19:06:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Transformation Thursday! It’s the one day of the week we all get together to celebrate getting stuff done. No matter if you’ve been coming around for months (or years), or this is your very first transformation rodeo – everyone is welcome to link up your projects at the bottom of this post.

Meet my newest favorite toy: my bias tape maker. If you’ve bought any bias tape lately, you’ll know that it averages 50 cents to $1 per FOOT. Yeah, it’s not cheap. I bought my machine at Wal-Mart for about $65 (everyday price). I wasn’t really sure if this little toaster-sized gadget was worth the price, but thought I’d take a shot.
Kinda looks like some torture device from the deepest basement of the psychology department, huh? It all folds up into a neat little box. All the pieces close up, making it pretty easy to put away.

It’s very easy to see where the pieces go, just two little bits and you’re ready to roll.

To get started you pop off this little nozzle do-dad. Just push the tab and it pops right out.

See the little channel? That’s where the magic happens.

Your fabric gets threaded through there. But first let’s talk about the fabric.

Speaking of fabric – your fabric needs to be twice the width of your nozzle. The machine comes with a 1 inch nozzle, so my strips are 2 inches wide. There are extra nozzles available at JoAnns or on Amazon, and they range from 1/4 inch to 2 1/2 inches. Just double the nozzle size to get your strip width.

Take your strip and wind it up on the spool so it can be fed into the nozzle.

Kind of cup the fabric and fit it into the channel on the nozzle.

On the top of it there is a little slot where the edge of the fabric plays peekaboo. Push it in as far as it can go.

Now here’s the big trick that I learned after doing a couple of dozen of these: After you get the fabric in as far as it will go, then use a straight pin and stick the pin into the fabric and push it through the end of the channel. The pin will slide through with the fabric once you pull it out.

Once you have it through just pull and straighten it up in the channel. Now we’re ready to get it made!

Clip the nozzle back into place.

Take the top plate off of the iron section by pushing it backwards and lifting it off.

Lay your fabric over the iron plate and past the roller, then replace the top plate.

Hit the run button to get it started – then gently, GENTLY pull on the end to help it roll out smoothly and not bunch up. With your other hand you can help guide it to keep it straight in the channel. The machine will run 12 ft. of fabric in less than a minute. And SHAZAM! You're done!

It really works very fast – you could probably have made 3 of them in the time it took to read this :) So now.. what do you do with it? Well here’s a few ideas for you. You can:

Make a pretty lamp shade like my girl Lindsay

DIY yourself some pretty little earrings

Or maybe make some heart shaped pot holders.

Trust me, once you use the machine and have fun with it, you’ll find 101 ways to use it!

Disclaimer: I purchased this machine on ~~a whim~~ my own, Simplicity has no idea who I am (haha!) Just thought I’d share a fun, new (to me) tool.

Sooooooo……. whatcha got? I wanna see – and so does everybody else! Please put your PERMALINK into the linky – and link back here so everyone can find all the great ideas. Please, please, PLEASE – pretty please DO NOT LINK TO A SHOP!!! Be sure to visit your neighbors and have fun – it is a party after all. *Please note: If you link up you are giving me permission to use your photos on my blog without contacting you (don’t worry, it’s only to show off your beautiful stuff!)* Welllllllll…………. Let’er rip, tater chip!

Embracing Imperfections

2012-02-20T06:45:00.000-06:00

Vintage & handmade items both have one thing in common: they are not always perfect. Little bits of character shine through, making each one unique and beautiful in their own right. Finding those imperfect pieces and bringing them into my home is a mission that I strive for at every flea market, thrift store and yard sale I hit... searching for that perfectly imperfect piece to add.

The lovely part of embracing these imperfections – even seeking them out – is that you are creating a unique home, truly reflecting you. I’ve often wondered what it was inside me that resisted store bought art, accessories and even furniture – now I realize they were just too perfect. Perfection is too big of a monster for me to battle.

So whether you are creating a farmhouse finish, refurbishing a roadside find, or making your own light fixture out of chicken wire – be adventurous… be daring… resist perfection! Quirk & personality injections are a side effect, so be forewarned :)

And just like The Nester has all taught us... it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful! Join her today for a party to celebrate the wonderful imperfections.

Annie Sloan project: a pretty little cabinet

2012-02-15T19:12:00.000-06:00

Last week I shared my pretty little cabinet with y’all. She’s a little rough, but after a day at the DIY spa, she’s better than new.

I recently got a package from Michelle at Wonder Faux Studio. She sent me a can of a beautiful blue, Provence. After we chatted on the phone for quite a while, she gave me lots of great tips that I can’t wait to share next week, but for today I’m just going to share my Provence project.

Ain’t she pretty? All gussied up in Provence, it was the perfect choice. Have I told y’all how much I love this paint? No priming, no sanding - just let the magic happen.

Lots o’ room for lots o’ runners… I love it when a plan comes together!

Just a little distressing, nothing major. I actually let it sit painted a couple of days before attacking it. I always wait for the piece to “tell me” if it needs it or not.

I did leave the top alone… it was just too pretty to cover up. I did add on some new knobs from my favorite little local hardware store {Brink's for my local peeps!} A pretty little project for a pretty little cabinet.

Sooooooo……. whatcha got? I wanna see – and so does everybody else! Please put your PERMALINK into the linky – and link back here so everyone can find all the great ideas. Please, please, PLEASE – pretty please DO NOT LINK TO A SHOP!!! Be sure to visit your neighbors and have fun – it is a party after all. *Please note: If you link up you are giving me permission to use your photos on my blog without contacting you (don’t worry, it’s only to show off your beautiful stuff!)* Welllllllll…………. Let’er rip, tater chip!

Love letter lamp

2012-02-14T10:14:00.000-06:00

Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share an old post that I did using a love letter from Mr. SCC. This is one of my most popular posts of all time, so you guys must love it, too :)

I love me some Pottery Barn - but I don't always love their prices: this lamp = $100? Uhh... no.

I also fell in love with this shade. $59? No, thank you very much.
(It's not available anymore... but it's ok - 'cause we're gonna make it cheaper, anyway!)

I already had the shade, it used to be my dining room light, picked up at Goodwill for $2. Then I went thrifting with {Living With} Lindsay, she spotted the lamp for $7. She is genius!

White spray paint, I gave the lamp a couple of realllllly good coats. Then I roughed it up with sand paper.

I mixed up a little raw umber paint with some Ralph Lauren glaze. Mixing in some paint means that not every distressed finish in your house looks exactly the same. It gives it a little more depth and variation.

Wipe it off in circles, so that you don't have wiping marks left over.
Once finished distressing, set aside to let dry.

Next go make some tea. Or coffee. Either will work.
I used leftover tea bags from making today's batch of sweet tea.

Once it's cooled, "paint" a couple of coats of tea onto the shade. If your shade is already the color you want, skip this step. Blot with paper towels to help absorb the excess. Set aside to dry - or blow dry it with a hair dryer (I'm impatient!). I did this while my spray paint was drying.

Just like with my curtains, translate your favorite phrase (mine is from a love note Mr. SCC wrote me years ago), and print it off, I used this font at 175 point.

Trim your words and tape them to the inside of the shade.

Put the shade on a lamp and painted it using the words as an outline.
Add in a few post mark stamps for a little flair... and you're done!

A $159 lamp for less than $10. I'm. In. Love.

inspiration injection

2012-02-13T08:52:00.001-06:00

I love Anthropologie. Until a few years ago when I started blogging I didn’t even know what it was… kinda sad, huh? Since I’ve been introduced, I was instantly infatuated with their whimsical style. There’s a shop in Green Hills (a part of Nashville), and occasionally I get to pop over for a little dose of inspiration.

This weekend we had to do a little booth refreshing and deliver a big subway sign, so I went to drool a bit. While I loveeee their look, appeal and even marketing techniques – generally I find they are wayyyyy overpriced. Like seriously. Every once in a while, I will break down and buy something that’s been calling my name. These bowls definitely fit the bill. I’ve had them pinned forever – it was just one of the things I couldn’t get out of my head. I finally gave in. $20 is more than I would normally spend on a set of bowls… but they sure are pretty.

They’re gonna look perfect on my (coming soon!) new open shelves in my kitchen. Oh yeah, babe!

My Colortopia: Image Inspiration Tool

2012-02-10T06:25:00.000-06:00

Ever find a photo on Pinterest and wish you could figure out which colors they used? Yeah… me, too. As bloggers (and blog readers), we love being inspired by the wealth of creativity around us. I’m horrible at picking paint colors – but Glidden & My Colortopia has come up with a pretty cool new tool that will help you out.

I found this room via Pinterest. I’m totally crushin’ on that deep turquoise sofa and pretty cream walls. Light and bright – it’s dreamy, huh? After trying 4 different colors on my living room walls, I’d already decided that the cream that I love in the rest of my home was going to eventually end up on my living room walls, too. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get a little more inspiration through My Colortopia.

After uploading the image to the Image Inspiration Tool, you can choose which part of the room that you want to recreate.

A little bit of the couch, a little bit of the wall, and a little bit of the drapes… a good representation of the essence of the color scheme of the room.

After you choose the area, it will pop up a few options for you to pick from. Warm Stone, please!

There are a few options that you can pick from that will include that color, along with two other accent colors that work well together. It’s like an instant palette!

From there, you can email or print your colors, so you can take them to the store and get the colors you need. See, I told ya, it’s pretty cool! And, if you don’t know where to start, you can always take the color quiz, like I did back a few months ago. Either way, Glidden can help you jump start your next dream room!

Disclaimer: I have partnered with Glidden/Akzo Nobel Paints to write this post but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

a French inspired chair

2012-02-08T19:06:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, while I was working at the shop, a regular customer came in to look for a chair. Jane had bought the sheet music desk that I sold a couple of months ago, because her daughter fell in love with it. She’d been searching for a chair to go with it, with no luck. I offered to do a custom one for her, so she gave me some ideas about what her daughter would like. I found a chair and got to work.

First I gave it a fresh coat of Paris Grey – then I traced a crown graphic on the back using carbon paper.

I carefully painted on the crown and then recovered the seat with a pretty French inspired fabric. I love projects where you can do one step while another is drying. Sooo nice!

I hope Jane and her daughter love the chair as much as they do the desk. It was a little time consuming, but so worth the results!

Sooooooo……. whatcha got? I wanna see – and so does everybody else! Please put your PERMALINK into the linky – and link back here so everyone can find all the great ideas. Please, please, PLEASE – pretty please DO NOT LINK TO A SHOP!!! Be sure to visit your neighbors and have fun – it is a party after all. *Please note: If you link up you are giving me permission to use your photos on my blog without contacting you (don’t worry, it’s only to show off your beautiful stuff!)*

Welllllllll…………. Let’er rip, tater chip!

Storing stuff & a new adventure

2012-02-07T08:33:00.001-06:00

One of the most often questions I am asked is, “Where do you put all your Etsy stuff?” It’s a tricky one to answer, because it’s not just in one place – it’s here there and everywhere all over my house. I’ve been collecting storage bins, chests of drawers and whatever works, so that I can do my best to keep the product organized and neat. Tall order, huh?

Meet my new table runner storage space. Ain’t she a beaut? Yeah she needs a little paint, but it was love at first sight. I even paid a little more than I normally do…. $95. There’s a quirky charm about it that I just L.O.V.E. Sigh. I haven’t been able to paint her just yet, I just brought her home from my fave local shop, Candy’s Memories, and have been admiring it. Not even a single table runner has been put away.

I’d been looking for the perfect solution to store lots and lots of runners, since my main goal for the spring is to have all of my runners and pillow covers ready to ship versus made to order. Making 40+ pillows in a day is hard, yo! But I’m seeing a light at the end of my long, long tunnel, and hopefully now that I have the space to stock 8 different kinds of table runners in one spot, it will quickly be filled to the brim with runners that are ready to ship. Once I get her all gussied up, she’ll be the star of my organizing show.

Oh! and before you run off…. I wanted to tell ya a bit about a new project I’m working on along with my friends Lisa from The Pennington Point, Lisa from Studio Jewel and Stacy from Kids *Stuff* World. (Working with two Lisas is a bit confusing!) Since conference season is upon us, and in full swing, we’re hosting a small blogging seminar in Texas on June 9th. Blog Chat 2012 is a one day seminar with a very, very limited audience (only 35 tickets will be sold). You can get one on one information to help you with blogging, selling online, and social media. Tickets are $29.95 (plus a $1.74 ticket fee), and are on sale now. If you live in Texas, this is a great opportunity to get to a “conference” without traveling too far or spending too much. Of course, if you wanna travel, everyone is welcome - not just Texans :) To learn more about Blog Chat 2012, you can check out the blog or register here. We’d love to see you there!

Balancing act

2012-02-06T09:10:00.001-06:00

image source

Most days I feel as if I’m walking a tightrope. Do I clean house, or do I work on a blog post? Should I sew or paint first? Work on Etsy orders or create things for Peacock Lane. It’s a big, big balancing act.
I’m certainly not the first person to crave balance (don’t we all?), but craving it and finding it are two completely different things. When forced to really take a deep look at what happens within my own surroundings, I find that thinking ahead is really helping me to create the illusion of calmness… although the reality is much harder to grasp.

Big changes are on the horizon for my shop – although I’m really happy with the direction of my blog, so I’m hoping there is no trickle down effect. Maximizing my studio time to increase productivity is a huge step, but the one major change I’m aiming for is more time to unwind.

After spending most of last week on my couch battling a nasty virus, I can certainly see that down time is more essential than I want to give it credit for. The time to recharge, reboot, and revive my energy and creativity is not just a luxury, it’s a necessity that I should tend to just like my other outlets.

The point of this post? Well there really isn’t one… just a few moments of me rambling. Maybe I should take another sick day :)

Deals at Love the Decor

2012-02-04T20:49:00.001-06:00

My sweet friend and sponsor Debbie asked me to share some amazing deals with you guys – and I always love sharing a good deal! She has so many great specials on her Willow House site that are just too great not to pass along.

Personally, I’m smitten with these cute measuring spoons…. aren’t they adorable? I’ve ordered from Debbie before, and the service, as well as the prices and product, are the absolute best! Hope you love shopping there as much as I do :)

Disclaimer: Love the Decor is a sponsor of The Shabby Creek Cottage – however my opinions and posts are my own.

More on that metal wall

2012-02-03T09:57:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all your of wonderful comments, emails, tweets & pins on our laundry room :) I’m so glad that it’s finished and ready to move on to another space… but before we do, we got a couple of questions on the metal wall. I had to ~~force~~ convince Mr. SCC to sit down and do a little Q&A time to get you the answers – so let’s get to gettin’!

Amy of The Salvage Collection said... okay, that is one hot laundry room now. i love the corrugated metal...but was it crazy expensive??
regardless, it looks AMAZING!

Hi Amy! Thanks so much! We were lucky our local lumberyard got a discount on several sheets of this metal from their supplier, so we were able to purchase it at below regular cost. We paid less than $10 a sheet for 10 ft. sheets, one sheet did two panels under the cabinet. We used a total of 3 sheets – making the entire wall $30 plus three 1x4 pine pieces (total) at the top at bottom that were $2.25 each – so we put up the entire wall including trim for less than $40. Because bead board is $25 per sheet, it would have taken 3 sheets, the metal option was about half the price of bead board. I just love a good bargain, don’t you?

Terry said... I'm really loving the metal wall, was it hard to cut? I think this might be one to show the hubby so we can recreate our laundry room!

Hi Terry! So glad you love it :) Mr. SCC cut the metal by measuring (of course), then marking it with a Sharpie across where he needed to cut. He then used a metal blade on his Skill Saw (circular saw), and wearing gloves while handling it. He didn’t “finish” the edges, because they are covered with the trim, no worries after installation. It wasn’t any harder than cutting bead board. Gotta love projects that don’t require “special” tools!

Decor To Adore said... I absolutely love your laundry room! Oh the metal on the wall is my favorite. Question: I am curious about the metal versus damp/wet clothing resulting in rust spots. Did you just use a liner of some sort to avoid this?

Hi Laura, Thank you! Luckily, I have a real metal expert to help me answer this question. My BFF works in the metal industry and tells me that it would take YEARS of use before the galvanized metal garbage can would rust. I didn’t use a liner at all, and I’m hoping with the pretty new space, I don’t leave laundry sitting around long enough to test her expertise :)

On a non-metal related note, I also got this question:

Frugal Home Designs said... Great job! Can you tell me what color black you used to paint your door?

Thanks! Sure, I used Glidden’s Onyx – it’s not too dark, but definitely black. Good black paint is almost as hard as good white paint, huh?

And one last question…

SimplySalvage said... Whoa! LOVE it! Can i come do my laundry at your house? :)

Absolutely! Come on over and I’ll have a glass fresh sweet tea waiting for ya :)

I hope this answers all your questions… if you have any more you can leave a comment or shoot me an email – I’m always here to answer whenever I can!

laundry room reveal

2012-02-01T18:46:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we decided to tackle our laundry room. It was like killing two birds with one stone: It marked the space off of my 2012 to do list and qualified for the Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge. I sooooo love multi-tasking!

We started by painting out the entire space in Glidden’s Crisp Linen. I have to admit: It took four coats to cover all that leftover aqua. And I used Glidden Duo – but to go from bright blue to light cream took quite a few layers.

Check out my black back door… did you EVER think you’d see me use black to paint a door? I gotta admit I’m kinda loving it!

We brought back in our old island, which works perfectly as a folding station. Check out my new hamper – cheap as chips at $22 (found at The Home Depot), and holds an enormous amount of laundry!

And as for that surprise I’ve been tweeting about – we used corrugated metal on the wall behind the dryer, beneath our cabinets.

Speaking of cabinets, Mr. SCC did a beautiful job, no? We were going for farm house feel – and by George, I think we got it!

Some times form and function can be wrapped up in one little package – like in this hanging rod from Ikea. Now hanging space is right where I need it.

On the other wall, we removed the curtain, replacing it with our beloved bead board. The sturdy coat rack stayed right in place. Add in a black and white print, and I have a black and cream dream of a laundry space.

The miracle in this redo is not the fact that we did it in one weekend…. but as of this morning my laundry is 100% caught up! For the first time is like 5 years. WHEW::That feels good! Makes me wish we woulda done it sooner :)

While-We’re-At-It-Itis

2012-01-31T08:59:00.001-06:00

I suffer from a horrible affliction, While-We’re-At-It-Itis. The root of the problem seems to stem from the fact that when I look at a room that needs to be upgraded, I see the big picture, and the details are somewhat fuzzy. I see paint chips that will transform to wall color. I see a “quick one hour project,” which in reality entails a 3 hour build out plus 3 more hours of painting.

I thought redoing our laundry room would be covering a wall, rebuilding cabinet doors, painting, crown molding and baseboards. Then we came to this little nook in the wall. The original cabinet in here was a quick build out of scraps – but it never fit correctly and we just couldn’t trim it out properly. So… while we were doing the laundry room, the nook had to be redone. Sigh.

The Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge deadline was today. I’m gonna be late :) It’s almost done, though, and I’ll be soooo glad to cross one more thing off our to do list. On a positive note… at least I’ll have something for Transformation Thursday, huh?

friendly finds & laundry room sneak peek

2012-01-30T10:16:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago our local newspaper ran a feature story about me and my business. I was honored my old colleagues wanted to highlight my blog & shop – in the very paper I once worked at {and loved.} After reading the story, a local shop owner emailed me a few days ago asking some questions on blogging. Since her shop is on my way to and from town, I stopped by to answer her questions and, of course, get my shop on :)

Candy’s Memories, a local Lawrenceburg shop, is run by a sweet lady named… Candy {go figure, huh?} It’s full of treasures just waiting to be brought home and loved on – like these two pieces I found. Candy was so sweet & gave the vintage tool box to me as a gift (isn’t it ah-maz-ing?) I think I’ve made a new friend that shares my love of all things vintage and yummy!

It will reside in my updated laundry room – can you see the sneak peek? I can’t wait to show you all that we’ve accomplished in just a few days.

Today I’m off to have lunch with an old friend from college – and I can’t wait to take a little while to decompress after a crazy weekend!

Saturdays, signs & other stuff

2012-01-28T09:38:00.000-06:00

Another Saturday is here and I’m painting again. Painting signs, painting walls and I even feel like I’m painting myself into a corner with a million & 18 things on my plate. There’s a lot going on today – new cabinet doors going up, new shiny things being installed and even some new items for the Nolensville shop.

A few weeks ago I brought one of these Nashville Subway signs to Peacock Lane. It sat there a few weeks and then my friend Debbie asked to take it to her booth in a more “hip” part of Nashville. I knew that her booth at Retropolitan would be the perfect space for it – so we loaded it up into her truck and away it went. The very next day a lady came in asking for it – as did a second lady the very next day. Two more signs on the lo do list. Then an email a few days ago lead to a third. Sign making heaven!

In other local news…. the laundry room is coming along quite nicely even without my assistance on the building end of things. But I already knew Mr. SCC was a rock star without my backup singing :)

So what’s going on in your neck of the woods this weekend?

I hope it’s creative, fun and just a tad bit adventurous!

Valentine's Week Linky Party

2012-01-27T08:18:00.002-06:00

I’m more excited than a 1st grader that it’s finally time for the Valentine’s Party! We’ve had so much fun already with Liz’s Pink Lemonade Pies, Kellie’s Valentine Envelopes & Amy’s Chalkboard Mug – as well as me sharing my mantle. Did you know each one also has a giveaway? (Pssttt…. Nest of Posies has a giveaway from MY SHOP :)

And because we LOVE giving you freebies, Charlotte at The Paper Cupcake has designed this beautiful Valentine Subway Art. You can download it for free as an 8x10 or as an 11x14. Sweet, huh?

Alright, my friends – it’s YOUR turn! Link up any Valentine post – but only link to ONE of the 4 blogs, it will show up on each! I’ve created a Pinterest board to share your great ideas – and I can’t wait to see them :) Put your PERMALINK into the linky so that months later everyone can still find your Valentine ideas. Please do not link to a shop.

Welllll…… let’er rip!

how to make :: felt roses

2012-01-25T16:49:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week I shared my Valentine’s Mantle with my barbed wire wreath embellished with these roses. Aren’t they too cute? Oh and they’re easy peasy, too! Wanna make some? You’ll need…

felt – I used by the yard kind, 72 inches wide – found at Hobby Lobby for $4.49 per yard (at 25% off – and you can make 22-23 roses out of one yard)
yard stick, scissors & a fabric marking pen (not shown)
hot glue sticks & a hot glue gun (check out my ~~over-worked~~ well-loved gun)

Fold your fabric width wise in half, then in half again, so you have about an 18 inch whack of fabric. Measure 1 1/2 inches from the bottom, then mark it across and cut to get your strips.

Down one edge, run a thin line of hot glue and seal it shut, making a longggg skinny tube. Go all the way to the end matching it up and gluing it down.

Cutting into the folded side, scallop the edge all the way down.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, those difference make it look even prettier.

Now place a 2nd layer of hot glue on the edge again (basically right on top of the other one.)

Then roll it up as tightly as you can.

Glue and roll… glue and roll… glue and roll all the way to the end.

And tada! you have a rose! If you’re gonna do a bunch of these, I suggest getting your husband to cut the strips and you glue them shut, then cut all the scallops while you watch Sherlock Holmes or something (well, that’s what I did anyways!)

And to attach them to the barbed wire wreath, I simply put a dot of hot glue in the center, laid a piece of jute twine, then a bit of scrap on top to hold it all together. Then I carefully threaded it through the wire and tied it off tightly.

There’s a bazillion & 18 ways to use them to gussy up absolutely anything!

{a little} laundry room progress

2012-01-25T06:48:00.001-06:00

photos via Instagram

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take the Impossible Task Challenge. I had 3+ weeks to tackle something I’d been putting off. I consulted Mr. SCC and he said “Sure! We can finish out the laundry room in 3 weeks!”

A week from today the challenge comes to an end – time flies, huh? And what have I marked off that challenge list???? I bought paint – and just yesterday I finally got it onto the walls. That's it. I’m a glutton for punishment, I tell ya!

In the next 7 days we have to finish… or at least give it my best shot. New door building commenced yesterday afternoon and the special surprise will hopefully happen this weekend – if the weather holds out. All the rain has really put a damper on this project…. SO much rain! It’s hard to haul or cut lumber when it rains every. single. day. Sigh.

But, on a happy note, it's still Valentine's Week - yay! Today Kellie at Nest of Posies is sharing a craft project - as well as a giveaway from my shop! And since we're sharing the love, I thought I'd share that my {love} wordy bird was featured in Romantic Homes this month :)

If anyone wants to grab a paintbrush, come on over....

See ya later for Transformation Thursday!

Valentine’s Mantel & a giveaway!

2012-01-24T10:39:00.000-06:00

Welcome to day 2 of Valentine’s Week! I’m so excited to bring you these ideas along with Liz from Hoosier Homemade, Kellie at Nest of Posies, Amy at The Idea Room and Charlotte at The Paper Cupcake. Yesterday I was a little sneaky, just showing you a peek of…. my wreath!

I had this crazy idea to put sweet, pretty felt roses on a barbed wire wreath. Yep, I told you it was crazy :) I’ve had the roll of barbed wire in my barn for… have mercy, I don’t even know how long! It was one of those things that I thought, “I’m gonna use that one day.” And one day finally arrived. Later this week I'll share how I made the roses and attached them to the "wreath."

I kept my favorite mercury glass candlesticks, adding in a sweet little bead board heart.

And on the other side is my “be mine” sign with a little whitewashed metal tucked behind.

And then there’s the beautiful bunting from my newest sponsor, BayBeeDahl-Boutique – ain’t she pretty? All that sparkliness & burlap… sigh…

And guess what??? One of you will win one! Yep – someone will win a LOVE bunting from Baybee-Dahl Boutique… and you’ll LOVE it, too :) To enter, just leave a comment below… Want more ways to get in the game? You can:

♥ Heart BayBee-Dahl Boutique on Etsy.

♥ Tell me your favorite item in BayBee-Dahl Boutique’s shop.

♥ Like BayBee-Dahl Boutique on Facebook

♥ Follow or subscribe to my blog

♥ Tweet, Stumble, Facebook and/or Pin this post.

You must leave a comment for each qualifying entry!

Giveaway will end Sunday, January 29th. Winner will be contacted via email – so be sure to leave your email addy if it is not attached to your account.

Good luck!

Shared at Home Stories of A to Z’s mantle party

Valentine’s Week has arrived!

2012-01-23T09:07:00.001-06:00

It’s here! It’s here! I’m so excited to be a part of Valentine’s Week, along with Liz of Hoosier Homemade, Kellie at Nest of Posies, Amy at The Idea Room and Charlotte at The Paper Cupcake. It’s going to be a week full of ideas for you to feel the love ♥

We’re kicking things off today with Liz and her recipe for a sweet – AND there’s a giveaway {yay!} Each person will be hosting a giveaway during Valentine’s Week.

Tomorrow the fun will be right here at TSCC with Decorating Ideas, Wednesday Kellie will share her amazing craftiness and Thursday Amy will share gift ideas.

On Friday we’re all gonna have one big love fest with a Blog Party where you can share your Valentine Ideas, Recipes, Crafts, Mantels & anything that gets you in the Valentine’s spirit. The party will be hosted on all of the blogs at once – so no need to join a bunch…. just link up once and you’re everywhere {we like to spread the love that way!}

Tune in tomorrow to see what I did with those roses….

Sign painting 101: Lettering tips & tricks

2012-01-18T20:04:00.000-06:00

This week I’ve been sharing a few tips on how I paint signs. We’ve talked about paint & brushes, but now it’s time to get to the nitty gritty of it all – filling in those letters!

First things first, I always use an outline. I do it by tracing the outside edges of the letters through carbon paper onto the wood. As you can see, mine is NEVER perfect – I straighten it all up with the paint.

For fine fonts like this one above – I used a Liner #1 so that I can get into the corners.

I dip my brush into my paint straight up and straight back out. In my mind it keeps the bristles in the right place (‘course it might just be me…)

M’kay… lemme see if I can explain without going in circles. If there is a sharp angle, like the top one (with the blue arrows), I swipe my brush from the corner in, then from the corner up, and from the corner across. Then I use my brush like a magic marker and swoop around the loop.

On the bottom part, I go from the corners in on each side, connect the corners with another swipe, then swoop around the edges. The swiping in from the corners helps to keep them crisp.

I use straight strokes to do the straight lines, one beside the next to fill it in and barely overlap the carbon paper lines.

Don’t be afraid to turn the sign to whatever angle you need to get those swoops in the right direction. I always think it’s easier to stroke towards me, almost like writing.

No matter if I’m doing big, chunky fonts or thin precise ones, these tricks always help me keep the corners clean and lines crisp. I hope some of these ideas helps you, too :) Wonder why I did a “be mine” sign?

Because I’m joining my friends Liz at Hoosier Homemade, Kellie at Nest of Posies and Amy at The Idea Room to bring you Valentine’s Week – hurray! We’ll kick it off on Monday and I can’t wait to share all we have in store.

It’s about time

2012-01-18T08:41:00.000-06:00

source

Things look a little different in this neck of the woods, huh? Growth can do that to you sometimes. I don’t mean growth in the sense that my blog has grown into a “huge” one – rather that Transformation Thursday has developed into such a large affair each week that it boggles my mind that you guys all show up every single week to celebrate with me. I’m honored that you take time out of your day each week to stop by and share your tips, ideas & transformations. There are so many of you each week, in fact, that it makes my blog load incredibly slow – and it only seems to get worse the bigger the party becomes. After months of wondering what to do – Blogger has now made it easy for me to shorten posts (just like this one… see the link below to read the rest of this post).

I don’t always feel like I need to explain or point out every little change I make around here {because I change stuff up WAY too often}, but I do want to explain such a big change. On any given week there are 400-600 posts on Transformation Thursday {YAY! I love y’all for that!!!} When you come to my main page, 99.9% of the time, there is at least one TT post up, which means that your computer has to download each and every thumbnail while “opening” the page. Bummer, huh? You just want to read about my latest spray painting adventure… and waiting 40 forevers to do that is not as much fun.

Truncating (or shortening) posts means that you will only see snippets of my posts, so click on the titles of the posts or CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING to see the whole post. I’m pretty sure that you already knew how to do that, since just about every other blog in the world is doing it. {As always, I’m the last to do everything :) }

There are more changes coming in the next few weeks that will make things run smoother, go faster and just generally gussy up the joint. Thanks for hanging with me!

See ya later for Transformation Thursday...

get your paint and brushes ready!