And I'm Back

Ok, so I have been m.i.a..  If asked, I really have no clue as to where the time has gone.  5 days till Christmas you say?  I feel like it should be mid July.  P.S.  Notice I am now just posting this mid February 2013....YIKES!!!  No such luck!  To make up for the time loss, I have been crafting away, taking pictures of all its glory, but not posting.  Think blogging more might be at the top of my New Year's Eve Resolution List?  Most definitely!  Back to why you are here....the crafts.

I have always had a heart for anything sparkly, what girl doesn't?!  So I decided to stick with my theme of silver and gold for the holidays, but with a little spice.  Glitter reindeer head?  Shiny, gold thumbtack wreathe?  Don't mind if I do!

First I started with a 16 x 20 canvas and good old Elmer's glue, and drew what looked like a reindeer head, filing in the entirety with glue for a nice sticky base for the next step.

Then came the exciting part....the glitter!  I shook that beautiful dust all over my existing Elmer's glue base.  I think my girls were so thrilled watching me make a mess!

Then off the reindeer head went, outside to soak up some sun.  Isn't she a beaut?!

And on my mantel, look at that shine!

 On to my next very important, Type A craft, a gold thumbtack wreathe.  Simple I thought....gold thumbtacks, check, foam wreathe, check.  Push in thumbtacks and all done.  Easy, peasy.  No such luck.  This bad boy took me several evenings by the T.V., after the girls were off to bed, with of course a mandatory glass of wine!  I started off with 5 boxes of thumbtacks.  1500 to be exact.  Not enough, not even close!

Now, I am sure I could have simply placed the thumbtacks haphazardly all over, speeding up the process.  However, I am super particular, so I created a beautiful scale-like finish, or a mermaid tail, as my girls called it.

And after several trips to the Dollar Store and 3300 gold thumbtacks later, the result was breathtaking!!!

Add a lustrous silver bow and it was all ready to take its place on my front door.

And here it is, in all of its glory!  Isn't it spectacular!  I am thrilled of my new addition and think I will be even as excited to put it up every Christmas from here on.  Especially as I don't have to push any more thumbtacks into a wreathe ever again!!!

Did you glam up your holiday decorations this year?  What kind of special projects did you conjure to add to your existing decorations?  Or did you change your whole theme all together?  I would love to hear!

Garage Storage = Chaos

I have been in a constant state of daydream lately over the thought of a new home.  A lovely sized home, with room for all of our 4 family members to have their own personal space.  An area dedicated to crafting for myself, a playroom for the girls, and a much needed space for exercise equipment for my husband and I.  And then I snap back into reality.  A 3 bedroom, 1 car garage townhome, bursting at the seams, just begging us to not add any more belongings.  Our garage deemed useless, as neither of our large cars will fit comfortably into it, so we have converted it into a make shift exercise space.  For now.  That being said, I still have to maintain some form of functionality for storage of everyday garage items, i.e., tools, hardware, project supplies.

I mean, seriously?!  Could you find anything in this mess?  And don't even get me started about the old Foldgers coffee can we inherited from my dad full of screws and nails.  It would take me eternity to find anything I was looking for.

So while the husband was off at work (no, he does not share my passion for organizing!), I took a little trip the my local Dollar Store.  I just knew that for the right price on our tight budget, I could get the look and functionality that I was dreaming of.

And of course, who could forget the contribution of genius, Martha Stewart!!!  As nothing rocks more than having chalkboard labels at your fingertips!

So after sorting, organizing, and discarding (shhh, don't tell my man) a lot of small pieces, my end result was satisfying and fit the budget just right, costing approximately $15 total!

Pre-chalked bins with all of their new tenants!

The end result!  Doesn't it just look so much better, not to mention how functional it is now.  I no longer have to spend wasted time looking for the picture hangers, nails, or level, etc.  They are in their appropriate places and nicely labeled.  Now if I could just convince my husband to let me do the rest of the space....


Even though this project was a small undertaking, it made me smile.  To add a little bit of organization here and there, in the places that matter bring such joy to my heart.  And to do it on a tight budget, a smile to my wallet!


What have you organized lately?  Any small projects getting tackled during a rainy morning, or a quiet nap-filled afternoon?  I would love to hear about it!

Foyer Updated

A foyer is the welcome mat of your home.  It invites you in and sets the mood.  My little foyer is just that....little.  My husband and I have been tossing about ideas to open it up and make it brighter.  But with just ideas and no actions, the Type A in me set in.  I have, have, have to make it look prettier!  As I blogged about earlier in the year, I upcycled a chandelier that I found and gave the entrance a pop of orange color with a wooden catch all.  A little brighter, a little more fun, but that was the extent of it.  So sad!

Then the ideas starting pouring in from Pinterest.  I had to be very selective on which to go with, as the space is not huge.  And ta-da, this is what we have now!  I am smitten!!!

I have finally turned a small, unused corner between our garage door and front door into a beautiful and usable space.  A simple 2 x 4 from my local hardware store, some funky knobs and a can of spray paint and I have a gorgeous coat hook!  A inexpensive basket from Target serves as a catch all for shoes that make it in from the garage.  And two personalized frames with special dates and a lovely quote, a constant reminder of what is important in life.  Functionality at it's best!

We still have a way to go to open the foyer and make it more usable.  But as this requires removing/knocking down walls, I am satisfied with the cosmetic lift for the time being!  What projects have you been working on?  Any part of your home in particular that is in desperate need of change?  I would love to hear about it!

Oh no, Where did I go?!?!

I cannot believe I have not posted a single thing for almost 3 months.  YIKES!!!  Between school, reoccurring sick children and the beginning of summer, time is passing me by!  But not to worry, I have many great posts up my sleeve, as I have been feverishly working on so many great projects!  Stay tuned!!!

Chevron Love

Let me start off by saying, I think the Chevron fad is totally fantastic! I think I could convert everything I own with a chevron pattern. It's so versatile and color friendly. A year or so ago I purchased 4 metal buckets from the dollar spot at Target, one for each of my family members to corral all of our crap treasures from when we walk into the house from the garage. It didn't work like the charm I thought it would. So the buckets took turns spending time on various bookshelves in different rooms of our house. Enter chevron fad.

On fabrics....

http://oliviagraysoninteriors.blogspot.com/2011/06/fabrics-galore.html


On walls....

http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/projects/Chevron_Wall_Pattern_0911.aspx

On curtains....

http://www.remodelaholic.com/2011/10/ombre-painted-chevron-curtains-tutorial/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Remodelaholic+%28Remodelaholic%29


And the list goes on and on, you get the point. I wanted to start small, as I have heard that making the perfect chevron pattern can be quite tedious. I didn't want to be overzealous, so I thought the buckets would make a perfect beginning.

Once again, I got super excited and jumped the gun taping before I remember a 'before' picture. You'll have to excuse my enthusiasm for crafts! For the paint, I really thought that an acrylic would do the job. So I enlisted just a few of my faves...

But to my disappointment it wasn't where I wanted it to be, even after 4 coats.

Don't you just hate when that happens. It feels so sad to know all of that hard work didn't come out as planned. Next plan of attack. When all else fails, there is always my true obsession love to the rescue....

Just look at how even and brilliant that silver is on the bucket. L.O.V.E.!!! Now just 3 more to go (insert a little pep talk here, as the taping was painstakingly long).

Gorgeous!!! The final product was worth all of the work. Now that I have proven to myself that I am capable of not losing my mind doing a chevron project, I can't wait to see what will become my next victim. An outdoor rug, a wall, some artwork? One will be the lucky winner! What about you? Taken on a challenging project, only to be beyond thrilled with the outcome? Tell me about it, I would love to hear!

Colorful Glass

I have noticed lately that I have seemed to become a hoarder collector of various glass bottles. I have numerous vases and glass jars that I never used, yet could never part with. Instead of being hidden away in a kitchen cabinet, I wanted to incorporate them into my decor, adding pops of color throughout my living room and office area.

I was debating on covering them with various shades of yarn, like these gorgeous bottles from Crave or Create's blog:

Source: http://craveorcreate.blogspot.com/2010/06/bottle-wrap.html

I tried and it proved a challenge to my OCD; the yarn would slip, the glue would show, it didn't look PERFECT! So I ditched that idea. It then occurred to me that a little acrylic paint inside the bottle would coat the glass flawlessly. I couldn't wait to get started!

A few in orange.

And my new favorite color, turquoise.

I adored the way the bottles turned out, SO colorful! I then proceeded to expand my color horizon. I am all about yellow, gray and turquoise at this moment, so why not incorporate it into these bottles.

The end result was glorious! Look at all the color! I am so excited to be able to spread them throughout my living space to give it some much needed brightening.

Just look at how that orange pops next to the turquoise chevron bucket (more on the bucket later!)...

What an inexpensive way and quick way to decorate. I just love the look of the acrylic paint showing through the glass. It always brings a smile to my face to complete a successful diy project! What kinds of diy projects are you doing? Any projects are you contemplating? I would love to hear!

Oh, Coffee Can

As an avid drinker of coffee (oh coffee, how I love thee, let me count the ways!!!), I always have empty coffee tins left over beckoning me to upcycle them in creative way. Well, at least the cool coffee comes in tins.

Jittery Joes, you had me at first sip. If you have never had the delightful experience of Jittery Joes in Athens, Georgia, I suggest you hop to it. Seriously, just the thought of coffee has gotten me so off track....ok, back to it.

So I have these coffee tins and lots of scrapbooking paper, why not create a home for my girls abundant supply of crayons, markers, paintbrushes, etc.

And with a little cutting and a bit of hot glue, voila, you have an inexpensive way to corral the little one's creative tools!

While this was a quick and easy project, let me apologize for the lack of 'how to' photos. I tend to get overly excited about the end result, that I forget to stop and document the step by step process. Oh diy, you make me all giddy inside!