New Look

It's been awhile since my blog has had a facelift, so bear with me as I work on getting all the links working.  Hopefully the site will be easier to navigate and look a bit prettier, too! 

How to Refinsh and Reupholster a Dining or Accent Chair

I've been on the hunt for two accent chairs to go in our living room that I am in the process of furnishing.  I've been looking every free minute I've had the past two weeks hoping to find a new one in my price range so I didn't have to create another project for myself.  However, I had no luck and I was tired of looking.  So, last week I found these two chairs for $15 each at a local thrift shop and decided these were going to have to work as my new accent chairs. 



To begin my transformation, I unscrewed the cushions and began the tedious process of pulling out all of the staples to remove the fabric and padding.  I quickly tired of this process and ended up just cutting the fabric with a razor just before the staples, so I didn't have to pull out the hundreds of staples that were used to attach the fabric.  Big time saver. Make sure to keep the old fabric and padding to use as a pattern for your new fabric. 

Next, I used my sander and roughed up the surface. I then sprayed the chairs with Valspar's glossy white paint/primer in one.  These two chairs took three bottles.  I let the chairs dry overnight and then I applied a wax to protect the paint.  I used Annie Sloan clear wax.  I've also used Johnson and Johnson's on furniture in the past and it also works well. 

Next, I used my old fabric and padding as a pattern to cut out my new fabric and padding.  The fabric I used is actually from a table cloth that I found at Target for $10.  I purchased the padding at Joann's for around $8 (using a 40% off coupon).

I stapled the padding down first using my staple gun.  Then I attached the fabric.  I covered the underside with burlap at the end (forgot to get a picture of that) just to make it look more finished. Make sure to pull tightly to eliminate wrinkles.

Next, I screwed the cushions and backing into the chairs.  I had a few stray strings of fabric  on the back cushions that I just tucked back in using a butter knife. 



This is a time consuming project, but is an inexpensive way to create a gorgeous accent chair.  I was able to get two accent chairs $60 and a few hours of work.

 

 

Make your own magnet board

This is a simple project that you can do in an hour.   Supplies needed:

Large frame (look at a thrift store)
Piece of sheet metal (Home Depot)
Tin snips
Spray paint (and spray primer if the frame is metal or you are changing to a drastically different color)
Magnets/Magnetic organizers (optional)

I wanted a magnet board for my office to hang my calendar and paper work I wanted off my desk.  I went to good will and found a large picture for around $20 and I simply painted the frame and purchased a large piece of sheet metal at Home Depot (in the plumbing section - the sheet metal is about twice the size of the board you see here, so you can get two boards out of one piece!  The metal was around $15).  I used tin snips to cut it to the right size.  I found a magnetic cup holder and file holder at Target to hold my pens and my papers)

I just made another one for my daughter's room to display her artwork and I also am going to hang some cute printable quotes on it.  This is a fun and easy way to keep organized!

Decorating with Maps

I love maps.  Geography was always one of my favorite subjects.  It is just so fun to learn about other places and cultures and dream of traveling there someday.  Maps and globes are popping up all over the decorating world right now, so they are easy to find and a fun way to get your kids interested in learning more about the world! I thought it would be fun to use a map in our office decor, so we ordered a giant National Geographic map from amazon to place in our office.  To make it look like a piece of art, we added some crown molding and created a frame around it on the wall. 

We also have a couple maps on our collage wall in our family room.  I printed a map of the United States and placed it in on a cork board so we can stick pins in the places we have visited. 

Some fun places to find maps:
Mod Cloth
Free Map Collage
America Subway Art Map
And speaking of maps, we just purchased a fun leap frog puzzle map that my son loves.  A fun way to get them learning more about the US and World. 

Using shoe organizers to keep organized

I have a couple shoe organizers in my home.  One I hang in my coat closet and I put all of our gloves, hats, and umbrellas in the pouches.  The other I hang on the back of my office door and I use it to organize my kids craft supplies and other office supplies.  It is easier for me to keep organized this way rather than digging through a drawer searching for what I want since each supply has it's own pocket.

P.S. I just noticed my kids had rearranged some of the items, so not everything is in its proper place, but you get the idea.  :)

Minnie Mouse Party

My daughter loves Minnie Mouse, so we had a small party with my parents on her birthday to celebrate.  My mom is an excellent cake decorator, so she helped me out.  She had this  Mickey Mouse cake pan where he is wearing a party hat.  To make it look like Minnie, we cut off his party hat and made it look like a bow and then we just looked at a picture of Minnie Mouse when we frosted it. You could also always piece the cake together by backing two 9x12 cakes and cutting out with a pattern you draw or find online.  We also did pink and white cupcakes.  



Frosting Recipe:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 tsp vanilla

We made a cute birthday banner using sparkly pink and black paper and placing stickers on each pennant, spelling out "Happy Birthday."  We punched holes in the pennants and strung with Minnie Mouse ribbon.  In between the pennants we placed pictures of my daughter and hung with small cloths pins. 

No sew valance

 

I wanted an easy valance idea for my bay window in my kitchen.  I cut a piece of wood slightly longer than the width of my window and then cut two pieces a couple of inches  long to connect to my the long piece.  I connect them using an L bracket.  I then wrapped the valance frame in batting.  I glued it down, because I didn't have a staple gun at the time.  If you have a staple gun, I would use that.  I then took my fabric and did the same thing.  Pulled it tight around the valance frame and glued (or staple).  I then connected the valance to the wall with an L bracket.  It is a two person process hanging them on the wall, but it goes fairly quickly.  That's it!  An easy no-sew box valance! 

 

How to Make Your Own Soap

My son is a lego-maniac, so naturally this past year he wanted to lego party.  I found this cool lego mold (they even have the lego figure molds).  I used the mold to make chocolates to go on top of the cupcakes, which unfortunately melted in the summer heat.  So keep the chocolate cool if you are going to be having an outdoor party in the heat! 

 

 I decided to make lego soap as a party favor because I had a big block of glycerin soap to use and I had the lego mold.  

 

Making the soap is easy.  You simply cut off a piece of soap from the block and slowly melt in the microwave.  Stirring after one minute and then about every 30 seconds or so.  You can then add soap dye to color the soap and then add a fragrance oil if you so desire.  You mix the dye and fragrance in the melted soap and then pour into your mold and let set.  That's it!  Super easy and a fun party favor or gift for a friend! Below you can see the lego soap we handed out to his friends. 

Family Room Decor Ideas

We have an awkward sized family room.  It is long and narrow.  It is too narrow to really fit the typical love seat perpendicular to the sofa.  It is the room we use the most, so I made it my first priority when we moved into our home.  I searched for a sectional that would fit the dimensions of our room and I found a reasonably priced line called Jonathan Louis that custom makes sectionals.  Perfect!  

BEFORE

 

AFTER

We then had our tv mounted on the wall and above our corner fireplace, since an entertainment center would work in front of a fireplace.  It looks great and you can't see the wires, which I love.

I found a side table at Goodwill.  It is a bit scratch on top, as you can see, but it works.  I may repaint it someday but it isn't a priority now.  I found the lamp and lampshade at Target.  I bought a basket at Home Goods to place our remotes, movies, magazines inside to keep clutter off the table.  I also think having a plant in a room brightens the space.

For artwork, I decided to go with a California/Americana wall.  I found a free old map of the Western US that I had printed at Costco.  I also found some great California vintage artwork on art.com.  I also added the preamble to the constitution that I designed in Photoshop.  I had a page of connected dollar bills I purchased when I went to the mint.  It is a fun wall collage I can keep adding too and switch up.
 

I found the rug at Lowes.  I found a coral damsk fabric to make the throw pillows and a coral chevron to make my ottoman.  I bought a solid piece of wood in the dimensions I wanted my ottoman (don't use particle board...I tried that at first and my son jumped on it and it broke in half!).  I then attached 1x4s to make a base and screwed those into my large board.  I bought wood legs at Lowe's and the hardware to attach them to the board.  I then bought foam and batting at JoAnn's to wrap the ottoman and then covered with fabric and stapled with a staple gum (I tried using push brads at first, but staples work so much better and a gun is only about $12). I then wraped 1x4s with fabric and glued onto the sides of the ottoman.  I may do a full post on this if I get time.  Email me if you have questions.

I bought white curtains at Bed Bath and Beyond and then adhered coral fabric strips to the curtains and then covered the edges with a white ribbon.  A no sew way to make custom curtains!

Family Photos Wall Collage Display

I have never had a family picture hanging in our home and it was my goal this past year to get one.  I ended up with several.  I decided to print my photos in a 12"x12" size at Costco.  To break up the photos I also created the words, "Live," "Love," and "Laugh" on my design program and printed those out as 12"x12" photos also.  I then purchased 12"x12" frames at JoAnn.  I love the look of canvas prints, but they were too pricey and I can switch the pictures around with frames.  I also ordered vinyl on etsy that said, "Together is a wonderful place to be" and placed it above my frames which I displayed in three rows of three.  It is a fun way to display our family photos. 

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

Our lemon tree produced a ton of lemons this year, so I've been trying to use them in all kids of ways.  One of our favorites is fresh squeezed lemonade.  It just takes about five minutes to make and is super delish. 

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

3 cups cold water
3/4 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (about four lemons)
1/2 cup sugar (start with a bit less and add more if you need)

Stir ingredients and enjoy!

Master Bedroom Accent Wall and Reveal

When we moved into our home I knew I wanted our master bedroom to have a different paint color and not just the color I had in the rest of the home (Behr's Haze which looks exactly like Kelly Moore's Snip of Tannin).  I had such a hard time deciding that I ended up just going with a slightly darker color (Kelly Moore's Wise Owl) and then I decided to have an accent wall in a chocolate brown.  After about a year I decided the chocolate brown made the room feel too dark and I wanted something more refreshing.  I decided to paint the accent wall a light aqua color.  I ended up going with Olymic's Geyser.  I absolutely love it and am amazed at how a coat of paint can transform a room.

The trick with accent walls is to accent the wall that will be the focal point, which in a bedroom is the wall where the headboard will be.  I've seen people accent walls in rooms that really shouldn't be the focal point and it just doesn't look right.  

I also made other changes to our room (and still have a few more) but I thought I'd share what I've done so far.

First, I switched out the bedding.  I love the quilt I made but it wasn't very masculine.  My husband never complained but I thought I'd do something more neutral.  I went with a white down-free comforter that I found at Marshall's.  I found some aqua pillow cases at Ross to add a pop of color with all the white bedding.  I also found a throw at Kohl's that matches perfectly. 

I painted my lamps with white gloss spray paint and purchased new lamp shades.  I painted my nightstands white using Annie Sloan paint and added new hardware.  I also finally got a headboard!  Our neighbor was going to throw their out so I snagged it and painted it.

I would love to make some valances over the windows and paint my large dresser eventually, but for now this works!

BEFORE

   

AFTER

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Memory Jar

I saw this idea and I thought it was a fun New Year's tradition.  All you need is a jar and paper.  I found a mason jar and labeled it "2013 Memory Jar" and one or twice a month I will ask everyone in the family what their favorite memories were and we will write them down and put them in our jar.  On New Year's Eve or Day we will read all the memories.  I think that New Year's is a celebration not only of the year to come but a reflection on all the great things that happened the prior year. 

Valentine's Day Fun!

I have been working on my 2012 Family Scrapbook and Family movie and my computer has been painfully slow and I realized I haven't wiped it clean in three years, so I think it is time.  So that means I am finally making time to post since I am archiving all my old photos and removing them from my computer.  I am going to schedule several posts so you should be seeing them every other day this month.

So let's start with Valentine's Day ideas!  I am always sad to take down Christmas but having Valentine's Day a month and a half away makes it easier.  I recently purchased this console table from Target.  After having it in the house for about a month I decided that the dark cherry wood really isn't my style so I painted it white this weekend so it would be ready to display my Valentine's Day decor.  I made a quick runner from a piece of burlap and then I found two picture frames I had lying around the house and did a search for Valentine's day printables and subway art and found these two cute free printables.  I printed them off on cardstock and I added a mason jar with some hearts on sticks I picked up a couple years ago at the craft store and I had my display table!

I have a 16"x20" frame in my entryway that I switch up for each holiday.  I found a free valentine's day subway art printable and had it printed at Costco.  I don't have fresh flowers in my yard in February so I found some hearts to stick in my wall vases at the craft store last year.

 I saw this adorable wreath on Our Best Bites and thought it was the perfect wreath for my front door.  I bought 10 pieces of 9"x12" felt in red, white, and light pink and a foam 14" inch wreath.  I cut each piece of fabric into fourths and then cut out the rosettes.  You can click on the link to get the exact instructions.  This project is time consuming.  It took me about three hours and my right hand/wrist was sore for a few days after from rolling all those rosettes.  However, I love the finished product and it was worth it!

Click here for other fun Valentine's Day ideas I've done in the past. 

How to Make a Thankful Tree

I know I've pretty much been on a blogging sabbatical for the past couple of years!  Buying a fixer upper has created way too many projects for me; however, that does mean I have a lot of fun projects to blog about when I find the time.  My goal is to start blogging once a week (probably Thursdays or Fridays). 

I am a big fan of family traditions, especially for the holidays.  My kids are young and I want to start traditions now that they can look forward to each year.  Fall is a time I look forward to each year.  Probably like you, our October was jam packed with costume parties, candy, pumpkin goodies, and trips to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard.  I must say I breathed a huge sigh of relief when November 1st rolled around!  Once Halloween passes it seems the anticipation of Christmas begins and we often don't give much thought to Thanksgiving (except for the food on the actual day).  November is a nice month to kick back a bit before the craziness of December begins and reflect on our many blessings.  To help my kids with this I thought it would be fun to create a Thankful Tree.  I have seen this idea floating around the blogosphere and I thought it was the perfect November tradition for our family.

Creating a Thankful Tree is simple and makes a fun decoration or centerpiece.  I went out to my backyard and snapped a few branches off one of my trees and placed them in a large Kerr Jar.  I then cut circles out of scrapbook paper and hole punched them.  You then can write what you are thankful for on the back of each circle tag and place on a branch.  You can do one circle per person each day or you could wait until the day of Thanksgiving and have each person at your dinner write what they are thankful for and place the tag on the tree.

Happy November!

"There are two little words in the English language that perhaps mean more than all others.  They are 'thank you.'"
- Gordon B. Hinckley from his book Way to Be!

Holiday Photo Deals

I've come across two great holiday photo deals I thought I'd pass along. 

The first is for a free photo calendar from Vista Print.  Click here and then select the free calendar option and get started making your calendar.  Shipping comes to $5.32.  Great deal! 

The second is a deal for 20 holiday cards (4"x8") for $1.  The total comes to $4.49 with shipping.  Click here to get started. 

Enjoy!

"Taking Chance" - Bringing Home A Fallen Soldier

Yesterday I went with my family and held up our American flags as a local soldier who was killed earlier this month in Afghanistan was brought home. When a solider dies, his body is never left alone until he/she makes it to his/her family. I was reminded of the movie, "Taking Chance," which follows an officers journey as he escorts a fallen marine, Chance Phelps, back to his home state of Wyoming. It is a touching movie. Below is a clip. I am so thankful for these heros and their willingness to serve our country.

Map My Run - Cool website

It has been years since I've been into running, but I've set the goal to run a 10k in September so I've begun running two or three days each week.  I've been curious how long my routes are, so I've been using a cool website called Map My Run to find out my distance and my pace.  If you are into walking, running, or biking check out this tool to track your workouts.

Great Site for Kids Apps

On the Today show they had a great segment on the Best Apps for kids.  The site Common Sense Media is full of great tips for how to best use media with your kids as well as ratings for kids apps.  Many of the apps are just for Apple products but they do have a few suggestions for Android.  I thought the Barefoot World Atlas looked really neat...kids can explore the world.  Rukus Reader was another great app mentioned.  For those who don't want to use educational apps with their kids, the segment recommended hands-on kits by Kiwi Crate.

Blurb Blog Books/Scrapbook Coupon Code

Update: This code is actually if you order two or more books.

For those of you who make blog books, you have until Tuesday (Jan 31) to create a book on Blub and get 20% off using code NY2012. For those of you not familiar with blurb, check out this earlier post. I actually have started doing a blog/scrapbook. I post all the info from my family blog into a book but do my own design instead of using one of Blurb's templates. I've done at least five books with Blurb and the quality is fantastic and the program is easy to use.