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

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

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.

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!

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!

{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!

Sign Painting 101: Brushes

2012-01-17T10:21:00.001-06:00

This week I’m sharing a few tips about sign making and decorative painting. Yesterday we talked a little about paint, and today I’m touching on brushes.

Chocolate, shoes, and tools all have one thing in common: you get what you pay for. Paint brushes are just like any other tool, the better the quality the higher the price tag. Good brushes are a good investment, whether it is a nice brush for cutting in walls, or a thin tipped detailed brush, in my experience quality cost more, but it also lasts longer.

You can fight with a bad brush and use it 2 or 3 times before you give up and buy a better brush – or you can buy a good one to start with and save yourself the headache. I kinda prefer working headache free.I have dozens of paint brushes in every shape and size imaginable – and from every price range. The ones that are always in the bottom of the box (and never get used) are the cheapest ones. Occasionally I will buy a pack of them, but normally I buy individual brushes so that I can pick and choose the exact ones I need.

Since we’re specifically talking about sign painting, I thought I’d share my favorite go-to brushes. For lettering signs, I use two different ones. I tend to be drawn towards chunky, thick fonts, and filling those in is much, much easier if you have a wider brush. My choice is DecoArt Traditions Filbert brush in size 12. I love this brush because it has smooth bristles for good, even application. It doesn’t work well for precise angles, but fills in like a dream.

My favorite for detailing small angles and lines is a store brand brush from Plaza Arts (we have a store in Nashville), it is a Liner size 1. The smooth bristles (notice a theme?) makes getting into sharp corners a dream. It’s easy to handle and works incredibly well.The thing I love about both of these brushes is that they clean up very easily, maintain their shape for a long time (I’ve had my Plaza brush 2 years), and both react well to basically any kind of paint I use.

The Fairfax doesn’t do itty, bitty tiny lines, but Inever do painting that requires miniscule lines – I want to be able to see those lines on a sign across the room. If you need thinner, you can get brushes that are much thinner, though.

Brushes really do make a big difference when painting details (like fonts), so that the paint goes exactly where you want it to. Natural bristles make a lot of difference in the reaction between the brush and paint – so I always choose those over synthetic.

Tomorrow I’m going to dip into painting letters. It’s not complicated – so don’t be skeered :)

Sign Painting 101: Picking Paint

2012-01-16T09:43:00.001-06:00

This week I thought I’d share a little bit about how I paint signs. With a few basic skills, a couple of brushes and the right paint, you can make any little sign your heart desires. First things first: Picking the right paint.
You can paint the base of the sign with any good quality paint – it’s essentially going to become your canvas, so you want something that will be smooth and easy to paint over. I have used every kind of paint imaginable, depending on what I have on hand, what look I’m going for and how big the sign is. A good smooth piece is the goal.

So here’s a tip to help to get your paint nice and smooth: When using latex paint, after you completely coat the top layer with paint, take a bowl of water and dip your brush in it, then smooth over the wet paint. Do it enough times to completely cover the wet paint with a thin layer of water. Once you have it all covered, smooth it out and walk away. Yes, walk away. The water acts like a leveling agent to make your paint smooth and streak free. {For all those who have asked – this is how I paint laminate. Sand it really, really well and then paint two layers of paint & primer in one, and use the water trick on top.}

Picking the paint for lettering is a little trickier. You can use whatever you’d like – but I prefer a paint that’s not too thick or not too thin – and DecoArt Designer Series is my very favorite kind. It flows well, covers nicely and even helps to add an aged texture that I adore. When painting big letters, it’s easy to coat a large area at once – but when doing thin, precise ones you get the right control over the paint to make it go where you’d like.

Now that we’ve got the paint all squared away, come back tomorrow and we’ll talk a bit about brushes :)

Using up a snow day

2012-01-13T09:42:00.001-06:00

Today is our first snow day of the year – ‘cause 3 snowflakes means no school in our neck of the woods. It’s more like a big, sloppy mess than a pretty, fluffy kinda snow. But since I’m a lemonade outta lemons kinda girl, we took the morning to finally finishing taking down the rest of the Christmas stuff. {Please tell me I’m not the only person left with some holiday decor up in the middle of January?!?!?}

Now that all the not fun stuff is outta the way, let the hot chocolate pour and lots of snuggling up with blankies commence. I feel a Jack Sparrow marathon coming on…. looking at tropical locations might keep us a little warmer :)

Sign making with DecoArt

2012-01-11T16:20:00.001-06:00

This week is DecoArt week over on One Month To Win It (ya know, my other blog?), so I decided to do a new sign for my kitchen. This space on my wall has been the same since we redid the kitchen 2 years ago. Although I loved it then, I just have this crazy need to constantly mix things up in my house…. and that wall was just callin’ my name!

After Mr. SCC built me a big ole sign, I used DecoArt Ebony (my fave stain), watered it down and rubbed it into the wood. Next I used the carbon paper method to trace the letters on and paint them in with Designer Series. (Hold tight, I’m gonna do a tutorial next week on tips & tricks for painting letters!)

I don’t have step by step photos, but I’ve made about a dozen signs here, so I kinda thought y’all might be tired of reading yet ANOTHER post on them :) This one does show that I don’t stay 100% in the lines – and one other great tip: Using the DecoArt Designer Series paint for the letters makes them SO easy to distress. After they are dry, just rub the whole sign down with a damp cloth and it will slightly smear the paint from the letters, causing them to look distressed AND making your sign look more aged {I LOVE this paint!}

Thanks to my friend Angie for helping me decide what to paint on it – she hit the nail on the head with “Sweet Tea Served Here.” Truer words have never been uttered about my home!

And ‘cause I’m all about ~~being lazy~~ “keepin’ it real” I didn’t even move the cereal boxes. Now… who wants a glass of sweet iced tea?

My impossible mission: The Laundry Room

2012-01-10T08:17:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my laundry room – she’s a beaut, huh? Yeah, I know it’s not the worst space in the world, but it’s got a lotta wrong stuff going on, and I’m soooo ready to give it the attention it needs. That door is the main door for my house. It’s not the front door, but it is the one that everyone basically enters and exits from. Notice all the spots painted aqua? That just didn’t work out in here.

The one thing that does work is this folding station. It was once our kitchen island, and it was the first piece of furniture we ever built. I loved it so much that I just can’t bear to part with it… so it got moved to the hallway when we put the big table in our kitchen. Right past the island is the kitchen, hence the ziplock bags, etc. being stored here. It’s the one space that actually functions properly :)

I hate these cabinets. Okay, well hate may be a strong word – and it’s not the entire cabinet I hate, just the doors. We’ll be giving these a makeover – nearly 8 years after they were installed. Oh my…. I can’t believe I’ve ignored them that long!

This curtain will also be going away. Once upon a time it hid a nook that we used as a broom closet. We took that nook out to create more space in our master bath(which is right behind this wall), but I left up the curtain because there were naked studs that we never covered…. and that was a year ago. I’m such a slow DIYer!

So why air my dirty laundry room? Because my friend Andrea is hosting a challenge along with a few other bloggers: Tackle a daunting task in January. I could just pick the doors… or the walls…. or even removing the curtain – but y’all know I’m an over-achiever :) Since my laundry room was on my 2012 To-Do List, it’s the perfect place to start. Crossing my fingers that Mr. SCC can pull it off!

Beanies for Baldies

2012-01-08T18:18:00.001-06:00

I recently received an email from my friend Polly who wanted to share an Etsy shop run by a young man here in Middle Tennessee. His shop, and mission, was one that touched my heart and upon reading more and more about Preston, I kinda fell in love with him just a little :)

Meet Preston: Unfortunately, he has never know life without cancer but will never let it get in the way of living life. Preston was diagnosed with cancer in his white blood cells (Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis) at 5 months old and battled it for a little over 5 years. 8 months after his diagnosis, his dad was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and battled for 8 years before his family lost him in April 2010. In August 2011, Preston was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and began treatment in September 2011. After a few weeks, his hair fell out and he asked his mother to teach him to make hats.

His mother took him to the fabric store and let him pick out a pattern and some fleece. He made himself a couple of hats and then informed me that he wanted to make hats for the kids at the cancer center and continue to do so after his treatment is over. Within a week, word had spread like crazy among his family, friends, and friends of friends. He has already sent 65 hats to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital (in Nashville) and 45 to Denver’s Children’s Hospital, in less than four months of opening his shop, Beanies for Baldies.
Here’s the amazing part: Each hat in his shop is $5. With the purchase of one of his cute hats – you receive yours and he uses the proceeds to make FOUR hats to send to a children’s hospital.

Let me say that one more time… $5 (plus $1 shipping) will help 4 children living with or surviving cancer – bringing a little smile to their faces and warmth to their lives.

If you know my own personal story, you know that I lost my granddaughter way too young. You also probably know that my father has been battling cancer for over a year. When you add the two of them together, this little boy just pulls at my heart strings, and since I know that almost everyone knows someone battling cancer – I bet he’ll tug at yours just a little bit, too.

Disclaimer: Beanies for Baldies did not compensate me for this post in any manner. This is simply a message that I felt led to share.

a little desk redo

2012-01-04T18:56:00.001-06:00

Earlier today I shared my neat little trick to transform knobs – and this is why I did it. I picked up this $25 Goodwill find a few weeks ago, then the holiday season kept me from attacking it.

I bought it for the shop – but I had a plan when I found it. She’s kinda sad looking, huh? Oh but those lines…. ahhhh…. She just needed a little lovin’, that’s all!

First I painted her all out in my silvery white Glidden Paint. On my walls it looks more grey – on the desk it looks like a beautiful soft white. I love it either way, though.

Now is when the magic happens! My new sponsor, The Home Depot, sent me some fun stuff to try – Martha Stewart Living specialty paints. Today I used Polished Silver Metallic Paint. This stuff RoCkS my socks! It glides on soooo easily and covers incredibly well. It took two coats to make all those details pop out and grab your attention.

I just painted them free hand with a little art brush, keeping a wet cloth near by to help keep the lines clean.

And a few hours later she was done! I replaced the original knobs after I gussied them up a bit. Now she’s as pretty as a princess! She’ll be heading to the shop on Friday – I’ll be sad to see this one go, alas I really have no room for it to have a home here.

Disclaimers: Glidden and The Home Depot are both sponsors of The Shabby Creek Cottage, however my opinions, experiences and projects are my own.

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

the changing of the knobs

2012-01-04T12:03:00.001-06:00

Have you ever used Rub ‘n Buff? It’s pretty cool stuff! It takes any metal (or any surface, really) and changes it in a snap. The only real downside is completely coating a knob can be a little tricky… but I found a solution.

Since Rub ‘n Buff is a waxy sort of paste, I thought, “Why not use a toothbrush?” It worked like a charm! Just barely put some on your brush and swish away – those little hard to get bits will be easy to transform.

From outdated brass to black in a flash!

Once they’re dry it’s time to hit it with highlights. I use a cotton swab to rub on the raised parts. You’ll go through the swabs quickly, so grab a handful!

70’s rejects no more, they’re ready to adorn the desk I’ve refinished today…. come back later that for Transformation Thursday :)

While you wait…. make sure to go vote on One Month to Win It – lots of great projects to choose from!

Oh SNAP!

2012-01-03T08:38:00.001-06:00

It’s official! I’ll be speaking at the SNAP conference in April of this year. What is SNAP? Well I’m glad you asked, because I love to share :) Here’s a little about it:

About SNAP

Welcome to SNAP, where you’ll find creativity at your fingertips.

There is something a bit different about being a creative blogger…Instead of dissecting life and examining the pieces like many online writers, we’re busy dreaming, sharing and building things up.

We inspire one another and when we connect in ways that comfort and sustain, it is something truly extraordinary.

That is why we launched SNAP – a community where imaginative bloggers can come together; learn from one another and walk away invigorated.

The hallmark of this community? A three-day conference April 19-21, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah, targeting the best bloggers representing modern handmade, contemporary craft, mind-blowing events and DIY.

Take a step away from your busy life and join us for lots of laughter, hugging and replenishment. You’ll walk away with a stronger sense of community, enhanced skills and an even greater sense of self.

To ensure an optimal experience, tickets to this event are limited. Register today!

Sounds fun, huh? There are a TON of great speakers lined up, including a few of my friends:

Brittany, Pretty Handy Girl

Emily Allison, Decor Chick

Maggie Whitley, Gussy Sews

Beckie Farrant, Infarrantly Creative and Knock Off Décor

Mandi Gubler, Vintage Revivals

Traci Hutcherson, Beneath My Heart

And that’s not even a fraction of the amazing bloggers that will be sharing their wisdom & insight. I am so honored to be invited!

Are you heading to SNAP? I’d love to see you there!

Easy organizing ideas

2012-01-02T09:16:00.001-06:00

Organizing is scary for me. Seriously! First there’s the sorting and purging, then there’s the dividing of things, then you have to figure out where to put it all. It’s like an exorcism of stuff.

During my holiday break, my new assistant Mariah and I got down to business. We culled out, cleaned up and started making some changes to our work days run more smoothly. There were two big things I kept wasting time looking for over and over that needed a simple solution: thread and small stuff.

I use a lot of little things (but I think we all do that, no?) Little stamps, little hooks, little bitties. Our first solution was to pick the ones I use the most (eye hooks, stamps, hot glue sticks), and put them into jars. We screwed the lids so that the jars hung down. Unscrew – do your project – replace. For items that need a specific set of materials every time, we put all those in one jar. It’s a method as old as time, but it works.

Then there’s thread. Sure, they make stand up ones, but I really don’t have desk space for one. I used a simple tackle box {$5 at Wal-Mart} and then just adjusted the spacers and sorted by color. I pop the bobbins into the slots with the matching color. No more unruly thread in basket – so searching for bobbin – always easy to see. Oh! And the lid snaps it shut so you can turn it upside down and everything stays put. I even made space for all the extra accoutrements that I use.

I’m hoping that these two small changes will make our days run a little smoother… but it kinda helps that I basically culled out half of my supplies to get things to a manageable state. It kinda felt like an episode of Hoaders around here for a few days. Really overwhelming, but I’m hoping that it’s worth all that work.

Signing off to go sew….

2012 To-Do List

2012-01-01T09:38:00.001-06:00

I’ve been living in construction so very long that I can barely remember what it feels like to live in a “finished” house. I love doing those room overhauls – but 8+ years of working on my house sometimes takes a toll.

But I think there is an end in sight. Don’t worry – there will still be tons to decorate… I just want the saws inside my home to be still for a moment. I’m hoping by the time the creek is warm enough to swim in, then we’ll be finished with the construction end of things.

So what do we have left?

via Sarah Richardson

Remodel small bathroom. This is my guest bath & kids bath all rolled into one. Since my girls are older there won’t be a plea for rubber duckies or dinosaurs, but instead I’m dreaming of a Sarah Richardson inspired space. Clean, classic, in light sea glass shades. It’s a tiny little space, so it will only hold the essentials, but those tight spots can hold some beautiful design – I can’t wait to get to that part!

Finish my living room. First things first – I gotta take down the Christmas stuff! It’s coming down today, and there’s always that overwhelming need for simplicity right after the holidays. I crave clean surfaces and organized areas. You only ever see one direction of my living room, because there’s a big chunk of it unfinished. This year it will be finished. A few sheets of beadboard, some paint, a new light and curtains. I’ve also been asked to replace the stripe chair {not shown} with a comfy chair like the one above. I’m not sure the heavens will allow me to find two $2.50 chairs, but I’m keeping my eyes peeled! One additional dream for this room is to continue the hardwood flooring from the kitchen into this room.

We LOVE our kitchen floors. Even after well over a year of use, they are charming, durable and I still heart them. Since we need new bedroom carpet, we’re taking this relatively new piece out of the living room and moving it to the bedroom. It’s only about 4 years old {it’s 25 year carpet in great shape}, so why not get all the bang for our buck, huh?

And last, but most certainly not least is a room I’ve attempted to finish before, but was never really happy with:

Refresh the Laundry. Since the floors are complete in here, all it needs is a little paint, some new cabinet doors and I’ve got a secret hiding in my barn for it, too. This space will most likely be finished first because we have everything on hand except new doors (which we’ll build, of course). I’m hoping we can mark this one off pretty quickly.

*If* we get all of this complete, I’d like to try some new kitchen counters – but I don’t know if I’ve got that much DIY juice in me right now…

What does your 2012 to-do list look like?

Shared at The Nester’s

Simple Strata

2011-12-31T10:44:00.001-06:00

With a new year looming, resolutions seem inevitable. Each year I try to get lose weight, get organized, learn something new. I’m always good at the learning part, but the other goals fade around the time the groundhog comes. Since tomorrow begins a fresh, new year, I thought I’d try something new here on the blog: sharing more recipes.

I don’t typically share many of them, but I do cook – especially brunch. Most Saturdays my family spends some time at the table together, and we always have yummy food, good conversation and that’s what it’s all about, huh? Today’s breakfast was my super simple strata.

You’ll need bread – any kind will do. I’ve used every thing from croissants, Hawaiian bread, day old biscuits, even plain sandwich bread – but our favorite is sweet Italian bread {shown here}. I used about 2/3 of a loaf, or 3 cups. You can tear it or cut it, it’s really forgiving that way.

You’ll also need fillers. Today I used leftover sausage from yesterday’s breakfast – but you can use precooked bacon, or even cubes of ham {another of our faves!} Keeping it meat-free? That’s ok – you can use mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, or even spinach – whatever fillings you like in an omelet are yummy here, too.

Eggs & milk – those are pretty basic :) You’ll also need some cheese – once again any kind will do. I had 4 cheese Mexican blend, so it’s what I used. Provolone, cheddar, mozzarella, pretty much any shred-able cheese works perfectly!

Oh! And before you start, preheat your oven to 350.

In a baking dish {coated with non-stick spray}, layer in your bread and fillers.

Next, mix your eggs & milk, and add your salt and pepper {to your own taste.} Beat until well mixed and kinda fluffy.

Pour your egg mixture over the filler layer. Sprinkle on the cheese & lightly mix it in. Try to get most of the bread coated in the egg mixture. It will not be a very thick strata. You want it thin to cook quickly. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on it, you just want the center to be set and the corners barely browned. And you’re done! It really only takes about 5 minutes of work to have a super yummy strata. Since you can use leftovers, your wallet will love it as much as your tummy!

Happy New Year!!!!

More caulking tips

2011-12-30T08:22:00.001-06:00

I love reading your comments on posts – especially when they share wisdom like the ones from How to caulk {like a girl} . Looks like I’m not the only girl caulking it up out there :) Seriously, there were a couple of really great tips that I didn’t want you to miss, so I’m sharing them again!

Gail from Can’t Stop Making Things shared this wisdom:

There is a pin on the caulk gun. It folds back onto the side of the gun. Turn it out and poke it into the cut end of the tube nozzle. There is a membrane between the nozzle and the caulk. If you don't pierce it the caulk will squirt out the back of the tube making a huge mess.

She’s absolutely right! Some brands (like DAP) have “break away” membranes, but many do not. I didn’t pierce mine, but it didn’t make a mess, so I know that it’s designed to open up with pressure. BUT – you should always do it just in case!!! Just stick it in after you cut the tip – it’ll only take a sec.

Kim at Snug Harbor left this tip:

If you didn't use up your whole tube of caulk, you can stick a large headed nail into the nozzle. Put the caulk tube on the shelf and the next time you need some caulk, remove the nail and you're ready to go again!

Yep – so, so smart! I’ve forgotten to do this then used a nail to “reopen” it again.

Happy Caulking!

Disclosure: DAP partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “Seal Your Home” Blogger Challenge. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the “Seal Your Home” Blogger Challenge. DAP believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. DAP’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

How to caulk {like a girl}

2011-12-28T16:37:00.001-06:00

For the last week of the year, I got my caulk on. Yes, after all the craziness of the hospital stay, surviving the holidays and even making it by the skin of my teeth, I think I got my house all winterized just before the severe weather comes around. I’m the first one to admit that caulking isn’t going to get me featured on HGTV or anything, but hey those maintenance issues don’t solve themselves now do they? Since Mr. SCC has been working so much lately, I decided to tackle it myself. Why yes, I do caulk like a girl :) What does that mean? I like to keep it clean and simple!

Since I’m somewhat of a caulking savant, I thought I’d share a few of my tips on how I do it. Let me start off by saying yes, it’s somewhat messy – but it’s not too terribly bad.

First you’ll need a few tools. You’ll need a caulk gun, a tube of caulk, a box cutter, and a caulk tool. You also might wanna keep a pile of scrap cloths or paper towels ready. I prefer DAP Alex Ultra 230 caulk. {This was my favorite long before they became a sponsor :) .} I like it because it flows smoothly, not too thick or thin, it’s ready for rain in only 3 hours and I’m so thankful that my trusty guy at The Home Depot helped me find it. I don’t know the name of the gun, but I got it right on the caulk aisle. Maybe I should bedazzle it for a more girly look, eh?

After you insert the caulk into the gun – BEFORE you tighten it – cut the tip off of the tube. I cut mine on an angle to make it easier to control.

So now let’s go over what the gun does. There are two main functions: Flow & Whoa. {I’m sure there’s a fancy name, but I like simple terms – haha!} The trigger like apparatus makes it go – or flow – ya know, come out – kinda like the accelerator of caulking.

The little tab on the end releases the pressure – making the flow slow down. It doesn’t stop it 100%, but it does keep it from smooshing out more of the caulk.

So now we find our space that we wanna caulk. I started with all my windows. As you can see, the old caulk is kinda cracked, which is not good. It’s letting heat out and cold in. Not only that, it’s not so pretty to look at, either!

I scraped off as much of the old caulk as I could and cleaned the area well. Then I run a Goldilocks bead {not too much, not too little, just kinda in the middle} by squeezing the trigger lightly all the way down the window frame. As soon as you get to the end hit the WHOA button – or you’ll have caulk everywhere.

You’ll have some on the end of your tube from the downward motion, just wipe it off with those scrap cloths. Start each line with a clean tip.

Next I was supposed to get a photo of me using this tool – but since I was caulking and photographing and doin’ all by myself, I missed this step. Once you have your bead of caulk, run the corner edge of the tool down through the caulk to smooth it out.

After you smooth it out, just let it cure and then you’re ready to paint. Not only should you do it on the outside, but the insides of the windows, doors & all your trim. It makes your home look more finished AND saves on your electricity bill – woot woot!

Once I did my homework, here’s what I learned about the effectiveness of caulking:

For as little as $20 worth of caulk, you can save up to 20% on your heating & cooling bills. (That’s about $80 a month in the winter for me – huge savings!)
You should caulk around windows, doors, and fill any cracks around basements, crawl spaces, and around the base of your home - anywhere that air can leak in or out.
Caulk should be used on gaps 1/2 inch or smaller, any larger gaps should be filled with foam sealants.
You should check your sealants twice a year – fall and spring.
In addition to the $$$ savings, caulk makes a home look better, too :)

Since energy costs are such a big part of everyone’s budget, DAP is hosting a sweepstakes to help you out. Four winners will win free energy bills for a year – woo hoo! Just share your DAP energy-saving story for a chance to win free energy bills for a year. See the full details and enter your story today at www.dap.com.

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

What I did this year

2011-12-26T10:19:00.001-06:00

Wayyyy back in January, I made a list of what I’d like to get accomplished this year. Some of it got marked off, a few didn’t, and a couple of them don’t seem so important after a year’s time. Funny how that works, eh? So let’s see the list:

Home Projects:

Build kitchen table
Find, buy and install kitchen chandys
Finish out master bedroom closet
Rebuild the {Ford Pinto Ugly} fireplace
Make drapery for living room
Finish living room beadboard
Paint living room
Replace ceiling fan in living room
Buy new sofa
Recover old sofa, move to kitchen seating space
Renovate girls' bathroom
Redecorate Hannah's bedroom
Redecorate Lauren's bedroom

So what did I get done?

We built a kitchen table & even replaced the top.

Installed new kitchen lights – I even made a pendant shade from chicken wire.

We also rebuilt the {Ford Pinto Ugly} fireplace. Now she’s a beauty queen! I also painted my living room a light grey.

We took a trip to the magical Pottery Barn Outlet & bought a sofa, too! Now once I finish the beadboard, painting and put up a new light, the room will be mostly complete. Woot!

And, last, but certainly not least – all my friends came to hang out over the summer for a big weekend of remodeling my girls’ bedrooms. Lala & Bre each got their rooms overhauled by a gaggle of my buddies. It was SO much fun to hang out with all of them.

Each girl got to choose their colors and most of the elements, we just put it all together for them. The rooms still look the same today – which is quite amazing for teenagers, huh?

So what didn’t I do?

Like I said in the couch caption, I still need to install a few sheets of bead board, a new ceiling fan, finish painting & make {or buy} new curtains. Those will probably be at the top of my to-do list for 2012.

We also didn’t get to the girl’s bathroom… although most of the components are purchased, so I’m thinking that will come around as soon as the weather is a bit warmer.

The old couch sat in the kitchen for a while, then made it to the guest house. It didn’t get a new slipcover, nor will it most likely find one in 2012.

As for my closet – it’s not even really on my radar right now. I just close the door and leave it be :)

What did we do that wasn’t on “the list”?

I had a hankering for a beachy kinda porch makeover – which was a Mr. SCC-free production :)

We also created a guest house. We had no idea at the beginning of the year that it would be gifted to us – but it has been a blessing to our family & friends.

I’m sure there’s things that I’ve missed – but these stuck out in my mind as the biggest that we’ve tackled this year. I was actually surprised how much of the list we got accomplished. Guess I better work on it for 2012…

Do you make a list?

It really does work better than I thought!

Linked at Beth’s 2011 post party & Rhoda’s Best of 2011

wishing you a merry Christmas

2011-12-24T18:04:00.001-06:00

From my family to yours,

we wish you a blessed & joyous holiday!

vintage tags on my tree

2011-12-21T19:04:00.001-06:00

Wow oh wow! Last week was such a blast – your homes look SO pretty all gussied up for the holidays :) And so many great projects and ideas, too! This week I thought I’d share my Christmas tree.

It’s pretty simple this year – clear lights, a few frosted glass ornaments, some grey gossamer ribbon and a few vintage tags were all that I used.

I bought the tags at my sweet friend Michelle’s shop – a whole whack of them for $7. They already had a gorgeous real patina, as well as metal “strings” that we slightly looped for hanging.

A simple barn star for a topper…

and my reused book page garland for a skirt.

A super simple tree with a real vintage flair. I gotta admit, I’m loving the simple decor this year!

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

Have you taken the color quiz?

2011-12-21T10:59:00.001-06:00

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Admit it: We’ve all stood in the paint aisle surrounded by way too many paint chips, wondering which in the world are you going to choose. Yeah… we’ve all been there.

Painting a room is the absolute best way to get a whole new look for very little money. One day and $50 can transform a room, which is a lot of bang for your decorating buck, eh?

Why, oh why, is picking a color so difficult… and even a little scary? If we only had a little magic color chooser, then life would be so much easier! And if it could be fun to boot it would be perfect :) This is why I was so excited to find out about My Life My Colors by Glidden.

This fun quiz helps you find out which colors best suit your personality and lifestyle. It’s kinda cool to answer a few questions and apply it to decorating.

In addition to the quiz, Glidden also has a new site MyColortopia.com that provides inspiration, tools, and relatable advice from the Colortopia Team to help our readers build confidence throughout the painting process. This enables them to select colors, buy paint, get the paint on the walls and be really proud of and satisfied with the results.

After you take the quick quiz above, scoot on over and see all the great info on My Colortopia.

And… just for fun: After you take the quiz come back and tell me what color you end up with {‘cause I’m all nosy and stuff!} Me? I’m Totally Teal – imagine that :)

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