Real Ideas

Guess whose back …back again??

2011-03-06T15:38:00.001-08:00

Rebekahs back.....tell a friend...
You Eminem fans might recognize that little tune!!

Yes! It's true! I am back from a looong blogging hiatus. Seems life took me in a different direction for a while but now I am back and feeling the need to join blogging society again. Lots has happened since my last post. In fact, my last post was made the day after my ex-husband moved out. Sounds sad, I know, but it was a good thing. And WOW have things changed since.
Brief overview -
Split from hubby
Decide to date again - promising myself NOTHING serious - only fun
Met a great guy
Fell in love with said guy ...and his 2 girls!
kids met said guy -what do ya know! They love him too!
Lost my house - devastating for us all
moved 25 miles away into said guy's house - now a family of 6
got a job which I LOVE

and now, finally after nearly 15 months of so much 'stuff'..so much heartbreak, so much happiness, so much craziness and confusion, life has handed me a little peace for which I am so grateful. Lots of lessons learned along the way. The phrase which I always seem to repeat in my head is 'The best laid plans of mice and men'. Just when you think you have a grip on anything in life, look out!! It rarely goes as planned and many time will end up better then planned!

Anyway, We moved into this house in Aug. not knowing if we were going to be here a month or forever. Turns out it may be for a while now...which is a good thing. This house is adorable and the kids LOVE the school. It is a 3 bedroom and it is a TIGHT squeeze but it has worked better then we thought. I am going to begin some decorating of my own in a few weeks...many ideas going threw my head. But for now, here are a few spots in our house I enjoy.

The top of the hutch I had in the dinning room of my old house.

A cozy little corner of the living room

…and the bathroom! Perhaps the most decorated room in the house!

AND the room which is going to be getting a slight overhaul this week. The ceiling needs to be painted and I need to clean the tiles on the floor…ANY ONE KNOW A GOOD TILE CLEANER?? I also want to do something pretty with the closet…..

Winter Yard

2010-01-01T08:28:00.001-08:00

last minute on the cheap -Monogrammed Christmas Balls

2009-12-21T10:50:00.001-08:00

I finished all 6 of these in about 20 minutes and for about $1 a piece.

Materials used -

1. Scrapbooking Rub-Ons ( already in my stash)

2. Shredded basket fill

3. Glass ornaments ( 50% off at Michaels)

4. Ribbon- 3 spool @ .50 each

5. Self-adhesive ‘dots’ (found in scrapbook isle)

How to -

1. Remove cap from ornament and fill with basket-fill. Replace cap

2. apply Rub-ons and self-adhesive dots

3. String 4 or 5 lengths of ribbon threw the ornament cap and tie in a bow.

See!! Easy and cheap!!!!

Oh my the difference a few weeks makes in one’s life.

2009-12-20T07:17:00.001-08:00

Well, the big news in our household is that hubby and I are divorcing. Its been a long time coming and we both know it is for the best. He are friends and will be working very hard to keep it that way. Out kidos are having a hard time but are getting better and better each day. We will be staying on our home which will make it a lot easer. This may sound like bad news but I am confident it is just the beginning if a lit of GOOD news!

Anyway...that is why I have not been blogging. But I have been CRAFTING!!!!

Here is a Christmas countdown chain I made using my Cricut. Do you have one??? Oh you must get one!! they are sooo cool and can be used in sooo many different ways!

I am also close to finishing my kitchen curtains! I hope to hang then sometime this week!!

See ya then!!!

A man’s opinion on chandeliers

2009-11-27T06:40:00.001-08:00

Went shopping with Hubby last week which included a trip to Lowes. He was after a piece of pipe and of course I wanted nothing to do with the plumping section. How boring!!! So I high-tailed my patootie over to the lighting section. (start the harps and trumpets)…I LOVE the lighting sections. I walked around for at least a half hour with my nose up in the air admiring all the pretties….ooooo…ahhhhh….ohhhhhh!! I Love the lighting section!

I found two I fell in love with and wanted to show Hubby for the kitchen and dining room.

His reaction “No way! I don’t like all those ‘beads’ and things. They look like they should be hanging in the back of a gypsy’s van’.

….huh?….’in the back of a gypsy’s van’????? What???

Do gypsies HAVE vans??? What exactly IS a gypsy??? ..and why would they have chandeliers in the back of their vans????? Do they HAVE vans??? Really??

I googled Gypsies and saw no such thing.

But I have a feeling this is the image in his mind…..

I have some work to do on him, huh???

So Many Projects…..

2009-11-24T09:37:00.001-08:00

soooo little time!!!

I have spent a lot of time lately at my local Goodwill store hunting down and finding a ton of great deals on all kinds of fun stuff! Yesterday was .99 chair day (YES!! .99 CHAIRS!!!) and let me tell ya…I went to town baby!

I found 2 chairs in great shape…just in need of a little love. One will be used in my dining room the other…maybe as a desk chair??

I also found 4 child size chairs I plan to recover and give to my daughter as a Christmas present. Hubby made her a table so now she will have an entire settee.

Here are some of the fabrics I plan to use for my daughter’s chairs, curtains and the headboard I also found. (forgot to get photo. Trust me…its ugly!…for now, anyway!) I have plans to reupholstered it and use it in my daughters room which is slated to be REdone the beginning of the new year.

I also found this urn..love it..not sure where it will end up yet.

Kitchen progress is slow but chugging along! I am almost done the curtains. I am attempting to make faux feed sack curtains. We’ll see?!?!?! Here is a sneak peak…

and here is my inspiration! From BHG

I also made this little hand cloth. Simple straight stitches and foam stamps used to make this. Cheap and easy!!

I have missed blogging over the last week! I am excited to check around and see what everyone has been up too!!

Figuring out myself

2009-11-17T10:05:00.001-08:00

Hanging out at home today with sick kido #2. My daughter was home yesterday..bad cough and an eye DR appt. My son is home today…sick belly. And my house it a disaster area..no joke.

But I am taking a few minutes to write because I *think* I may have figured out myself! Maybe …at least for today. What I mean is …I think I am beginning to understand the difference between what I like, as far as decorating, and what I like AND will WORK for me long term. See, I love drama…not REAL drama..just the appearance of it.

LOVE this room! The drapes…..the chair covers…THAT chandelier!!!!

Oh man!! Do I ever LOVE these chairs! They contrast so well with the darker floor! And that table base…TO DIE FOR!! Love the urn and the candelabras!

I can not tell you how much I LOVE this color combo! SO different, vibrant and FUN! Again I LOVE the contrast of the lighter color chaits with the dark wood of the table! BEE-U-T-FULL!!! And do I even need to mention THAT chandilear!!! HOLY SMOKES!!!

DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA!!! i LOVE it!!

BUT…not sure if drama jives with my lifestyle! While I LOVE the above rooms..LOVE them..I seem to fit more comfortably into the following rooms.

Oh my gosh!! This paint color looks just like what I have in my dining room now!!!

Notice the colors and wood tones are similar in all these rooms. They all have beautiful, dramatic chandlers. These last three dinning rooms, while still dramatic, have a sense of ‘lived in’, if you know what I mean.

So…to my point..While I love drama, I seem to be able to live with it in smaller doses. I have a sure appreciation for it! I would never turn down the chance to have a super dramatic dining room..but one that is slightly more relaxed with just a hint of drama seems to work better for me and my family.

Now, I just need to remember this when coming up with my ideas!!!

photos from House Beautiful and BHG

Beadboard wallpaper, new finds and progress on the kitchen!

2009-11-13T08:32:00.001-08:00

Want to see my new favorite spot in the house??

This is it!!! I love just looking at it! Notice the difference from the same spot just 13 days ago. SO much brighter!

OH SO much better! I lined the cabinets with the beadboard wall paper. I am totally in LOVE with the stuff. Do you think it would be over kill if I put it on every surface of my house?? No….Yeah…maybe! Plus, the stuff is so easy to work with. This was my first time messing with wall paper and it was as easy as pie!

Her is the other cabinet..

Notice I also painted the walls. Its a beautiful silvery blue and is such a nice contrast to the red mahogany color of the cabinets.

Its Kilz Bay Fog, if you are curious. I bought it al WalMart for about 13 a gallon and used only about 1/3 of the can so who knows what else in my house will end up this color!

For above the fridge I wanted…and still might add a cabinet. But for now I sat an shelf I made from an old window I found at an antique store a few years back. I added a few faux topiaries and a pitcher…for now. But this may change. I also add a few pops of red around the kitchen. It needed a little something else!!

Progress has been made but I still have a way to go! I will keep you posted! So far I have only spent $28!!!! Woohoo!!

Oh!!!….and here are a few GW finds from this week..

You may have noticed these sitting in my freshly beadboard wallpaper lined shelves…they are these sweet little cups with a cool Greasen god/goddess scene painted on them. I got 2 for $1.99

I also saw these adorable little guys and knew right away they HAD to come home with me! They are salt and pepper shakers and just make me happy!! they also have found a home in my open cabinet!

Linked to ….Show and Tell Friday

and to Finding Fabulous!!

On my way to Lowes to get THIS….

2009-11-10T06:25:00.001-08:00

Graham & Brown
Beadboard Paintable Wallpaper

Item #: 314368 Model: 19739

Oh yeah, Baby!!! I had to call to make sure they have it…ya never know with our hillbilly Lowes what they carry and what the don’t! But they HAVE it!! And in about an hour I will have it, too!!! Woo hoo!!

….such a sad existence I lead when I am THIS excited about wall paper.

Maybe by tomorrow I can show you what I am going to do with it!!!

The Realities of Home

2009-11-09T06:44:00.001-08:00

I spent most of my day Friday and Saturday cleaning my home. I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom scrubbing the counters and the floors. I rearranged a few things in the living room and did my best to make it look just right. I washed all the sheets and put ‘hospital corners’ on all the beds.

And then Sunday morning I woke to this…

..a trashed living room filled with two boys…only one of them mine, BOTH with extremely stinky feet. Dirty, plastic plates which the dog was licking off sitting on my antique dynamite crate coffee table and covers and pillows all over the place.

Video games and clothes strewn everywhere. Notice the couch cushion is on backwards. How, I wonder…..

And the Kitchen? No better. Empty pizza boxes, chip containers and soda bottles from one end of my freshly scrubbed countertops to the other.

And two PJ wearing, bed-headed girls (again, only one is mine!) sitting at their computer playing Webkinz.

And there was pee on the toilet seat…I will spare you those photos!

All my hard work in vane.

BUT…and this is a BIG BUT….

Our home was filled with HAPPY children all playing and enjoying time together! AND I ENJOYED THEM! We heard laughter, happiness, playful challenges and compromise!

It was a wonderful sound…even if it did not look so good!

Ummm…did I really set a budget of $200??- and some changes already!

2009-11-04T06:40:00.001-08:00

…..for the KITCHEN??? That WILL be changing! Who was I kidding?? I am considering not even quoting a budget at this point – What has made me reconsider???

I read this….

..and WOW!!! SO many beautiful kitchens…with HUGE budgets! Budgets I, and I figure most people, only can dream about! Who has $40,000 for a kitchen?? REALLY??? Seriously???

Have you seen the price of faucets these days!?!?!?!??! Holy smokes! I just saw one at Lowes for $827.20!!!!! I could get an new stove for that!!!! – and yes..it was a beautiful faucet!!

Anyhow….I figure $200 is not realistic. After all, I need..

1. A new door

2. New lighting – Under cabinet, over the sink, and main over head lighting.

View Full Album

3. Faucet -

4. New dishwasher – Mine just died last week

all items from Lowes.com

Not to mention paint and wallpaper to line my open cabinets. What?? haven’t you seen my new open cabinets??

I plan on adding some molding..maybe rope molding, to the edges of the shelves and then line the back with wallpaper or fabric. – This change is hard to get use to! I find myself wanting to close the cabinet doors! I really do like how it adds to the kitchen! i also like to display my dishes and roosters!

Onward and Upward..to the kitchen I go!

2009-11-02T08:46:00.001-08:00

Ok…I have figured I could spent the rest of my life working on my dining room and I still would not be ‘finished’! Never…never finished, I tell you. So now I am shifting my focus to the kitchen.

Here it is in all it’s glory -

Not too bad…..from this angle..

ok….getting worse (except for the lovely dining room in that background )

Ugggg….what happened here??? There is usually a table cloth on this table but a munchkin spilt cool aid on it this morning.

Things i HAVE to deal with…

1. Placement of the fridge and stove.

2. The Cabinets – budget will not allow for new and DH and I just refinished them about 2 years ago. I like the finish but I can be a bit dark at certain times of the day.

3. The counter tops – again not in the budget. I have grown to like the metal edge..it matched the pulls. Thinking of painting the counter tops??? Maybe….

******

But I do have a few favorites in this room. I LOVE the drawer pulls. Love them…love them would marry them if I were not already married…and they were not hardware.

I also love this wooden appliqué we added to under the sink. It just fancies up the place a bit!

I have my list going and I hope to start on it tomorrow. I will have a budget on this project…maybe $200?? But I will try to keep it as low as I can. But I need new lighting and want to add a new cabinet by the stove and ya need $$$ for that kind of stuff!

Here are a few kitchens I am using for inspiration -

Twice Remembered

Heather Bullard

? for you..

2009-11-01T09:42:00.001-08:00

Is is bad that I am blogging right now while my hubby is out splitting wood all by himself?? He could use my help and I DID help some this morning BUT….well, I am just a bit tired of splitting wood. It’s just not fun.

No, THAT was not the question I wanted to ask..this is…

Source Unknown

Do you ever feel like a room is ‘done’? Once you decide on a paint color and fabrics and furniture placement…do you feel like the room is finished?? Or are your ideas constantly evolving?

Country Living

As you all know, I have been working on my dining room. I am happy with it so far but I am finding that I STILL want to change things. I planned this room and thought I knew what I wanted but I still have ideas I would like to try. I see other dining rooms and want to incorporate something in my dining room. So, that is my question for all you home decor buffs…Do you ever feel like a room is done??

metalglassfurniture.com

Ok….Hubby just walked in…I’m snagged…

BTW- I’m desperate for your opinion! I need to know I am not the only one with ‘Decorating ADD’!!!!

If I were a rich chick…OR what I would have done in my dining room if $$ were available.

2009-10-30T09:15:00.001-07:00

My little dining room REmake was done on a $0 budget. I did buy a few yards of fabric which totaled maybe $20. We, just like many families these days, are on a tight budget. BUT I girl can dream, right???

IF $$$ were no object -

1. I would add new window hard wear and full length curtains in a simple but classic style and color.

JC Penneys

Pottery Barn

2. I would add wainscoting like Rhoda - Southern Hospitality

3.I would replace the windows with white vinyl, double hung windows with mullions.

Anderson

4.Add a beautiful, neutral but durable area rug -

Pottery Barn

5.buy set of chairs -

Rather then entire dining room set, I would just get new chairs. I love the table I have. It was a hand-me-down from my mother and it was the same one I had when I was growing up. It needs to be refinished but it still is in good shape-and has sentimental value.

To be honest,this ‘dream’ can be had for not a lot of $$$. Each of these things are affordable. But,alas, for not there is no $$$ to be had. BUT making this ‘dream’ list has given me a few ideas on how I *might* be able to remake some of the things I have into the things I want…..hummmm…maybe this dining room REmake is still NOT complete!!!! Stay tuned…….

Tutorial – Burlap Acorns

2009-10-29T17:01:00.001-07:00

**I feel SPECIAL*** This project is featured at Someday Crafts!!!!!!!!!!! Be sure to check it out! It is a great blog and FULL…FULL, I tell you, of great ideas of so many different kinds! I am sure everyone will be able to find inspiration here! THANKS, Michelle!!!

I was asked by a few people to do a tutorial on my acorns. I am sooooo flattered but this will be my first tutorial so bear with me.

Here is where I got my inspiration – My mothers $10 acorns she bought at an expensive specialty shop.

They seem to have a Styrofoam base covered with real leaves…perhaps ModPodged on to the Styrofoam. Yes, I could have bought Styrofoam balls and shaped it into an acorn shape but I wanted to do this project using the things I had on hand.

-Speaking of hand…the first step to make my version of these acorn is to fold your burlap and trace your hand onto it using a sharpie and cut it out. Your fingers will be the point/bottom of the acorn and your palm will be the top, where the acorn lids will be attached.

-You will have pieces of fabric -a front and a back. You will pin the sides together and sew. Be sure to leave an inch or 2 of opening at the top (the PALM) so you can stuff your acorn.

-Once it is sewn- stuff it! To close the opening I simply hot glued it closed. The top will be covered by the acorn lids so it will not be seen.

-Once the opening is closed start to glue on your acorn lids around the opening and slightly down the sides. I eyeballed it to see how many rows of acorn to add. If I had gaps I simply added another acorn lid on top to cover it.

-For the bottom I added (with hot glue) one lid which had a bigger stem -

-For the top I added a checked ribbon to make a ‘stem’. I glued the edges of the ribbon and stuck it in between the lids so the edges could not be seen.

And there you go! Easy as pie!

Burlap Acorns

2009-10-27T08:29:00.001-07:00

**ETA- What to see how to make these??? Click HERE.**

Ok….last year my mom bought these adorable faux acorns. They were about the size of a hand and were made out of dried leaves for the bottom on the acorn and many acorn tops for the top of the acorn. She bought them at a big time ritzy antique/decor shop in Amish Country – about 1/2 hour from where we live. I fell in love with them but and $10 each, could not afford them….and even if I could I would not spend that kind of money. MY hubby is not nearly as easy going as my father is about such purchases. So this year I made a version of my own from things I had on hand…and a few acorn tops we found at the park. AND it cost me NOTHING. Yep…say it with me, sistas...FREE!!!!!

Linking to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land

and Someday Crafts

Dining Room – 90% finished

2009-10-26T06:58:00.001-07:00

…but I promised myself I would post pictures today. My plan was to warm up and fill the room! It echoed before! I planned on RE-using and RE-making things I already had and to only buy a few yards of fabric. I stayed with in my goal except for 2 special purchases this weekend from GW. You can check them out in the last photo.

BEFORE-

And AFTER….

some details..

The current centerpiece

The window treatments. It was difficult to get a good pic during the day…

Since my budget only allowed for a few yards of fabric, I could not afford an ‘real’ ceiling medallion. But I did have this frame. I hot glued it to the ceiling and filled it in with pages from an old encyclopedia.

OK…so maybe I broke my own rule and spend a little bit of money. I bought this sweet little squirrel jar and these bee hive salt and pepper shakers this weekend at GW. I ABSOLUTLY could NOT pass either of them up! $6.00 total!!!! They are sitting on the table my father made for me! I think they are the perfect addition!

I am linking this to Metamorphsis Monday at

Between Naps on the Porch.

Be sure to check it out for a TON of great ideas!

Also linked to - A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

Just call me SLACKER!!!!!

2009-10-22T06:54:00.001-07:00

Life has got in the way of decorating…and blogging for that matter! yes, things have been crazy and I have been happy just to have my paints on the right way in the mornings much less finish my projects!

We have been to the pumpkin patch….

We have raked the leaves..in style, of course.

…and played in the leaves…THE best part!

We even added a few decorations to the front porch.

AND the went to see Where The Wild Things Are. Kids loved it…Me…it was OK. Still go see it if you have not yet.

So yes, I am giving myself another weekend to finish the dining room. I am just about there. You see this shutter laying in the leaves ……

(its a little blurry because it was taken from my craft room window and it MAY be a bit dirty)……ANYWHO…this is my LAST project for the room. Here are a few other snippets..

Placemats I made with ribbon, burlap stamps and HOT GLUE!!!! SO easy! Got the idea from Shanty2Chic!

So, hopefully, MONDAY!!! Yes…it WILL BE Monday! It will. Yes, it will!

Have you see the show ‘Hoarders’?

2009-10-15T07:42:00.001-07:00

Well, if you have you know what I mean when I say that I maybe 1/2 a hoarder. I am not to the point where I have so much stuff you can not walk in our house. In fact, I tend to be a bit of a neat freak! But I am not one to throw things away.

Case in point – See the medication bottle in this photo. Wait till you see what I did with the lid.

I stacked it on top of a few other things in my junk drawer and made this cute little apothecary jar.

I bought the glass at Michaels (3.99 and I used a 40% off coupon = @ 2.39) and I used the medication bottle lid, a clay pot tray, a wooded disk I had in my stash and a cardboard ribbon spool to make its pedestal!

I hot glued each piece together then I spray painted it black and embellished it with trim I have in my stash and here it is…..

By the way, this sweet little jar is sitting on top of the lovely table my father made me for the dining room. I hope to have the room finished by Monday! I can’t wait for you all to see it!

Can you say YUMMMMMMEEEEE?!?!?!?

2009-10-12T06:13:00.001-07:00

It is only 8:40 and I have already had THREE ( thats 3) pieces of this……

…yeah….it’s good….really, really, really good!!! It’s a blueberry coffee cake drizzled with a lemon powdered sugar icing……and it’s good….really, really, really good!!!!

I found the recipe at a wonderful blog which you totally should check out - Edie - Life In Grace. Edie is amazing on so many levels! She has a beautiful (and quite large!) family and a gorgeous home! She throws wonderful get-togethers and she HOME SCHOOLS!! Amazing…and soooo worth the click!

Here is the recipe – But ONLY read this if you PROMISE to check out her blog…OK!?!?!??!

Recipe for coffee cake:
1/2 cup butter,softened
8 ounces cream cheese
2 ounces almond paste (or 1 t. almond flavoring)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt
1 3/4 cups blueberries tossed in 1 T. flour and 2 T sugar
Lemon Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. heavy cream
1 T. softened butter
Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, cream cheese, almond paste and sugar; beat until fluffy. Add eggs and then flour, baking powder and salt. Then fold in blueberries. Bake in a well-greased bundt pan for 35-40 minutes. While it cools, combine ingredients for glaze and stir until smooth.

The kidos helped make it and we had a lot of fun…..

On a different subject – I found this old barn window at a friends yard sale this summer. She told me it came from a barn on the farm on which she lived for over 20 years. She said her style had changed and it no longer fit in the decor of her home. I, of course, scooped it up fast! I was thrilled to find it and even happier to know where it came from!

I decided to back it with fabric and turn it into a place to hold my families vintage photos. I used upholstery tacks to hold ribbon on which I plan to hang the photos. I am thinking of using clothes pins to hold up the photos.

I just adore it’s pealing and cracked paint! So beautiful!

This is a copy of a photo of my grandfather and great grandmother on the beach in 1906. I honestly think it is THE coolest picture ever!!! Can you imagine swimming in THAT suite! Although, it would hide a multitude of sins…like eating three pieces of cake before 9:00 am!!!!

In the background is another beloved photo of my father when he was about 6 or 7 in 1939 or so.

I found all the old camera equipment at an auction. I think I got it all for under $5. Some of it is really old! It all fits in perfectly in my craft room…AKA my favorite …well, ONE of my favorite, spots in my home!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!! Off to see what you all have been doing!!!!

Progress, stand-stills and a beautiful little chick

2009-10-08T07:14:00.001-07:00

Well, my Daddy is currently working on my loooong thin table for my dining room. He came down yesterday and measured..WHY, oh WHY??? Did he not trust MY measurements??? Thanks OK. I really didn’t either!

The shelf leaning against the wall is going to be over the table. It had been hanging in the living room since the day we moved into our house 11 years ago. I hope it will be happy with its new home.

I am at a stand-still with this room until the table is ready! He just called and it now has legs so hopefully by the weekend!!!

My inspiration for this dining room wall is from Ronda at Southern Hospitality. Check out her dining room!

I am sorry for the small photo! It was a bit blurry when it was enlarged BUT that will give you more of a reason to check out her blog! She has amazing vision and such a classy style!

I love her mirror and am thinking of a way to incorporate one into my dining room. I am not sure how yet but I will find a way. Of course, it has to be FREE! Remember, I am only spending $$$$$$ on fabric for this room! Everything else has to be RE-made or RE-Purposed from my home!

Since I pulled the shelf off the wall in the living room I had to re-arrange the other pieces in that room for fill in the space. I think I have it where I like it and I *THINK* this room will be my next project after the dining room. I did make some progress and made a pillow out of the chenille blanket I also used for my pumpkins.

This was also a FREE project! I had the pillow from my single days (a million years ago!) and the toile fabric has been in my stash for at least 5 years, as has the trim.

I pulled the trim off of the entire blanket and used it for this pillow and plan to do a few other things with it. I have a TON left!

Yesterday was picture day at school and Liz was so excited! So always welcomes an opportunity to get dresses up and be in the spotlight! She is one beautiful chick!!! But don’t be fooled, people. She KNOWS it!!!

Now off to see what YOU all have been up too! I have been sooooo inspired by so many of your projects lately! I can hardly put my computer down! Have a spectacular day!!!!

Simple, Fun Ways to Celebrate Fall – AUCTIONS, anyone??

2009-10-06T06:32:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned Fall is my most favorite time of the year! i love the cool crisp air, the smell of the leaves, warm fires. Oh I love every aspect of Autumn.

Part of the fun for me this year has been finding inexpensive ways to decorate for the season AND to celebrate it with my children.

Every day I put a little note in my daughter, Liz’s lunch bag. ( A VERA BRADLY bag, non the less! …a gift from Grandma. Mommy would NEVER shell out that kind of $$$) These little notes have been dubbed by her and her friends as ‘Mommy Notes’. Liz has come to insist her AND her friends get ‘Mommy Notes’..from ME…everyday.

While shopping at the craft store I found the cutest little mummy rubber stamp….FOR $1!!!! It was mine and now the ‘Mommy Notes’ are ‘MUmmy Notes’. Sooo fun!

Soooooo simple but she loved it!! Total cost - $1.00 for the stamp and $.02 for the napkin!! A happy little chick – priceless! Gotta love that!

Her is a little project I did yesterday. I needed to add a little Fall to my living room. I cut some of the tassels from the corn we had growing in the garden. I had an old canning jar (I won a slew of them at an auction for $3 a while back) and I filled it with potpourri I had on hand. I added the corn to the jar, wrapped the threads on the jar with some leftover twine from my pumpkin projects and that was it! Simple and easy!!! Cost – $0.00!!!!!!!!

As you has seen, I am very into auctions. LOVE them! I have furnished most of my home with items bought at auction….with the exception of my sofa. I have a rule to never spend over $15 for any one item and I am happy to say that after years of attending I have only broken my rule once…for the tall, cream colored cabinet seen in the background of the above photo. I paid $20 for it and have NO NO NO retreats!

Anyone else been to auctions?? What are your impressions?? What to you get????? Please tell!!!!

Linked to - Second Time Around Tuesdays

Fall Decor RE-Style!!

2009-10-04T11:06:00.001-07:00

About a year or so ago I found this lovely chenille (sp?) bed throw. It was huge….maybe king size. I had it on our bed for a while until Hubby, with all his mainly gentleness, ripped the daylights out of it as he was pulling it down for the night. I adored it’s trim so I decided to keep it around for a while knowing I could at least use the trim. Well, I still have plans for the trim but look what I did with the rest of it….. I love seasonal decor but am a bit of a snob when it comes to things coordinating. White pumpkins are the ultimate compromise! The look great sitting on my dining room table

yes…I do have other rooms in my house! I know I have only shown the dining room but it is the room I am concentrating on most right now!

Here are a set I made from an old shirt of my son’s/ I also used its buttons and a few pieces of potpourri as embellishments.

I also make a fall wreath. I used an old grapevine wreath and a thinner ‘berry’ wreath I have had stashed away..never used! I tied the 2 together with twine. I added a few pinecones and a rooster I won at an auction a few years back. The mirror was in a hugs box of stuff I won at an auction years ago as well. I was happy with the results!

The total cost for allll these projects - $2 for the twine. Gotta LOVE that!!

Yield

2009-10-03T16:12:00.001-07:00

Finally! Pumpkins!! Not just any pumpkins but pumpkins from our garden! They are beautiful and I am soooo excited to place them perfectly on the front porch tomorrow.

The guys are more excited over the peppers. Looks like stuffed peppers are in our dinning future.

The power of GREEN

2009-10-02T16:01:00.001-07:00

No, I do not mean THIS type of green…

But THIS type of GREEN…

HOUSE PLANTS!!!!

The difference a house plant makes always amazes me. I room just does not feel ‘finished’ without at least one. Not only do the add a touch of ‘life’ but they are also perfect for hiding electric cords and plugs and filling in space in a table top display.

(YES...That is STILL the price tag on the holder!)In my home, I have place small plants in buckets, candle holders, tea pots and even wrapped them in simple muslin and burlap. I have bought all my plants from a ‘big box’ store for less the $3 each so if (or when!) they die, the expense is not too high.

$3 is great but FREE is better. In this tea pot I have boxwood branches cut from a bush in my front yard. I just added a little water to the pot and sat them on my table. Simple, cheap, beautiful and they last forever!

In the background you can see a few more sneak peaks of the dining room! I am LOVING it! Just a few more days and I will post the total RE-Design! – Here are a few more pics..

By the way, The Nester is doing a serise 31 Days To A Better Dressed Nest. She also blogged about plants. Read her words HERE.

Hey!! Just testing out Windows LIVE!!

2009-10-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

Ok…is this thing working??

OH WOW!! Is this things cool!!!! Gotta give credit where credit is due – I found Windows Live from Ronda at Southern Hospitality. You can download it here!!!

Technorati Tags: testing

Unexpected twist to my plan...

2009-09-30T10:04:00.001-07:00

Let me tell you, Sisters, Monday was NOT a good RE-decorating day. I have no idea what was wrong but I could do nothing right. I made slipcovers for my chairs

- HATED them! I painted my chandy black - HATED it! Added another fabric to my windows - HATED it! Yeah....I was a bit discouraged.

And then I woke up Tuesday morning and the decorating goddesses must have been smiling at me. I RE-Made my slipcovers and LOVE them. I RE-painted my chandy WHITE and LOVE it and I added a VERY unexpected fabric to my window 'MIS-TREATMENTS and LOVE the results! I was on a roll!

Currently my father (AKA - The Awesome One) is shopping for wood to make me a long 'buffet' style table for the dining room. I am not looking for anything fancy. Just a long, thin table. He said he would take on this project for me and I told him to call me when it was ready for paint! By the way...The Awesome One is almost 78 years young...hence the nick name.

I have been 'awarded' 2 blog awards!!! Thanks Heidi THE CRAFT MONKEY and Linda at CRAFTAHOLICS ANONYMOUS. I will give out my awards as soon as I can! I just had to go get a sick kido from school!

Where the heck have I been??? and this weekends finds!!!

2009-09-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

Have ya missed me??? Maybe you did not notice I was gone!! Well, there is a good reason I have been absent from blogging - For the past 6 days due to a MAJOR glitch in 'the system; we have not had electricity!!!! Lets just say I have a new appreciation for these ladies....

So due to this 'glitch in the system' I am giving myself another few days to work on my dining room project. I have finished a few projects. Here is a sneak peek if you would like to see...

I have decided to paint the hutch white but I am living with my decision for a day or two to make sure it is what I want to do. Today's project is to finish the window 'Mis-treatments'..as THE NESTER would say! She is so amazing! My life changed when I found her blog!

Now for this weekends finds!

I was sooooo happy to find these shutters at GW. They were only $4.99!!! And even befor I saw the price I knew I had to have them! There are 2 sets and are huge...maybe 4ft x 3ft each. I have no idea what I am planning on doing with them but I love them just the same!

I also was thrilled to find these set of dishes! I have been wanting a nicer set for a while now but was just not willing to shell out a ton of moola for them. I got this 36 piece set for $9.99!!

I am linking this post to A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words and Southern Hospitality

Ok....now off to see what YOU all have been up to the past week!!!!

Met Monday

2009-09-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Ok...so this in not a BIG metamorphosis but it is cute, easy and cost about 25c to make. As you have read in by earlier posts, I am RE-doing my dinning room. I just finished a pair of curtains and am working on chair covers and a desk skirt. My sewing machine has been going all week long and I got a little tired of looking at my little red tomato pin cushion. So I decided to make one for myself...which of course had to coordinate with my craft area. I used what I had on hand...(1) a spray paint lid (2) scraps of burlap from a current dinning room project (3) a left over scrap of fabric from my craft areas curtain and some odd and end trims I had in my stash.

My pin cushion went from this...

To this....

Linked to - METAMORPHOSIS MONDAY

Sunday!!

2009-09-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

Well, the weekend is almost over and I am looking forward to the week ahead. As a stay at home mom, the weeks are my time to re-coop and get things done. I love the weekends, though. We always have a house full of kids and grandparents and birthday parties to go to. Busy...but fun.

Not much progress on the dinning room. I did find paper to attach to the back of the hutch and I bought a few items for a home-make chalk board for the office area. This weeek will bring a few changes.

Here are a few nuggets of inspiration I found so far this morning -

LOVE this idea of the gathered burlap on the back of this hutch!! Beautiful-

Be sure to check out Shanty2Chic for the how-to! What an amazing transformation!

I think this chic is my long lost sister - The Lamp Tramp

LOOK what she did with a wire planter!! WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!

And be sure to check out this dleightful chalk board - for some reason I can not post a pic so be sure to click on this link -

The Idea Room - Weekly Menu Planner

What a differance...

2009-09-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

...a little fabric makes! NEVER underestimate the power of fabric! I finished my curtains yesterday and with the help of 'The Bubster', my 10 year old, I got them hung. I had to turn on the light one last time to get another look before I went to bed. I also hung some 'free' art I made from an old picture frame - this frame is one I dreamt about the night BEFORE I found it in a consignment store about five years ago. Honestly! Scary, huh????

Speaking of scary...ever watch these guys??

Wednesdays are like a holiday around our house because its the night the show airs on SyFy. The kids love it! I was up alllll night because of it. In fact, I am already just about to my 'legal' limit of Monster this morning in order to help me get going!

OK...a little off topic....sorry.... BUT do remind me to tell you all about my daughter seeing 'spiders and dots' when she was little. Talk about scary! I slept with the light on for months!

Anyway - Here is the fabric I chose for the dinning room.

I bought the paisley almost 2 years ago and the found the stripe yesterday at Wal-Mart for $5 a yard. They coordinate beautifully! I only bought one yard of the stripe. I bought the tassels months ago on clearance for lass the $2 each. I will be using them as a base for much glamorous tassels!!

Not sure what I will be working on today. I did find a white bed sheet that I could make into chair slip covers but I am not sure if I am up to that today!

What are you all up too today???

And...for you who have left suggestions for me...KEEP THEM COMING!!! I LOVE to hear your opinions and ideas!! Really!!!

What to do with that dang hutch??

2009-09-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ok..have you met my $20 pain in my decorative bumm?

I bought this hutch last week and YES, I only paid $20! What a steal, huh?!?! I knew when I plopped the money down that I was not going to be using this puppy as is. Over the past week I have been going back and fourth...paint?? No paint?? Paint?? No paint?? I am leaning towards no paint because most of the other pieces in the room are a similar wood tone and I do not want to paint them all...which I would feel like I had to do.

This morning I hit the Internet looking for ideas. Here are a few I found..

One Hutch At a Time from A soft Place to Land

I love how she used the scrapbook paper on the back and that she kept her pieces that went inside the came colors.

And this one from Greatwindsorchairs.com

The painted blue background...LOVE IT!!!

I am still hunting for more options. I am also looking for curtain ideas. I have fabric picked out and will post that tomorrow. Until then I plan on sleeping on my few ideas for my hutch. I always do my best thinking while asleep...uhh..well...almost asleep.

This Weeks Project

2009-09-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

I started this blog in order to help myself stay on track of my projects. I figure this is a way for me to be accountable for my goals. I have a habit of starting something and the getting side tracked into something else. Well, now I have my goals in writing!

For the next 15 days I will be concentrating on the dinning room. I the spirit of 'RE' I will not be buying anything new....with one exception - Fabric. I will use what I have around the house to make this room beautiful.

Here is the room as of 10 minutes ago....

I plan to cover the chairs and make new window treatments. I also want to dress up the two cabinet but am not sure how yet. I may stain the table. It is in bad shape under the cloth. The paint in new so that will stay. I also would like to paint the chandelier ...white??? Black??? Rust???

On October 1st I will post the new pictures! Cross your fingers for a fun and east transformation.

Do you have a current project? What is it and what are your goals?

My bird found a nest!

2009-09-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Remember these???
Well one of these little ceramic birdies has found himself a new nest! While at a chruch rummage sale this weekend I found two decorative, hanging birds nest. I had no idea at the time what to do with them but since they related to birds, my latest obsession, I had to have them! Everything in the place was priced $4 a bag. The bags were the plastic type from Wal-Mart. I filled mine up with all kinds of goodies...candle sticks, old sewing notions, a few old sweaters I plan to cut up and make into something...and the two little nests.

Well, once I got home I looked at my birds. I looked at the nests. And I looked at the candel sticks and an idea popped into mind....

I took some white spray paint (doesn't evrrything deserve a little white paint???) and sprayed the candle stick and the bird.

Once dry I added some Spanish Moss and a few feathers to the top of the candle stick using hot glue. I also added the nest using hot glue.

I wanted to add some color to the eggs so I used blue craft paint and a thin paint brush and added a few dots.

I then added my bird on top of the eggs and added a few pices of moss around it.

I wanted to add a tag to the base. I chose this cute little bird stamp and stamped it on using black ink. To add a bit of age to the tag I stamped a crackel pattern over the bird stamp using 'Distressing Ink' by Tim Holtz.

I, of course had to add a little shine so I covered my tag with VersaMark Dazzle in Frost and then clear embossing powder. LOVE that shine!

I tied on the tag and here is my finished result!

Now to find the perfect place to put it....

Be sure to check this out!! I have found SOOOOO many great bolgs from this site!

Gotta love thrift stores!

2009-09-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

First of all, I spent most of the day yesterday getting my house in some kind of order and did not get the chance to post the answer to my question posted Thursday. Did ya figure it out yet?? Well...what alllll those things have in common is that they ALL were purchased by myself at a hugs thrift store 'garage sale' for a grand total of $29. I did not know such things existed but they apparently do! I scored BIG time.

I bought ....

1. four birds -

These, according to the woman who checked me out, are very old Home Interior. One of the birds is a bit chipped but the other three are in good shape...just a little dirty. Nothing a little white paint can't fix.

2. One chicken -

Yeah...I see a paint job in this hen's future!

3. 2 Chairs...here is one. the other is in the basement which it too dark for a photo. -

Again, I will be breaking out the white paint. I LOVE the green fabric but DH is not a fan of 'puke green' so I may have to make a slip cover for the seat. But I LOVE the style and the caning back!

4. China Cabinet -

Oh yeah, baby!!! Great condition and ONLY $20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW how could I NOT bring this home! I am pretty sure it will be painted white as well but I think I am going to live with it for a while the way it is to be sure. It needs a new pull of the bottom but other then that it is as good as new. I have not opened the bottom yet so I have my fingers crossed that their is a cool million in cash in their that the last owner forgot about!

So, I am pretty set as far as projects go for a while!

Speaking of projects, here are some clothes pins I decorated the other day. I have an old window from a local barn that I have hung in my work area which I turned into a bulletin board. I plan on using these clips to hold pictures and stuff!

They were easy to make using some cardboard, fabric and some scrapbooking embellishments. Oh, and a hot glue gun!

So, tell me...what projects are you looking forward to completing???

Be sure to check out Frugal Friday and The Shabby Nest. There are some GREAT blogs featured and I know you will find oodles of great ideas!!

Question for ya....

2009-09-10T15:18:00.001-07:00

What do four birds, two chairs, a chicken and a china cabinet have in common??? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Until then Check out this blog - I Penny Saved. You should see what this chick has done in her dinning room!!! Beautiful!!

Poor but full of ideas!

2009-09-09T05:56:00.000-07:00

...Ok so maybe we are not POOR....just low on expendable income! This is , I am sure is a situation in which I am not alone. Time are tough, sisters! Which is why I started this blog. I will use it to keep myself (and maybe a few others along the way) inspired to use what they already have to make what they want. I have been crafting in some respect for years and chances are I have what I need to make the things I want in my stash. No, it is not a HUGE stash. My perfectionist, neat-freak DH would not allow that. My stash is limited to what can fit inside 2 antique armories and what ever I can shove under my 'desk'. I use the ' ' because my 'desk' is actually an old door on top of two dressers I had in my childhood room. I needed a desk so I simply RE-thought how these items could be used and guess what??? I have a desk...for FREE!! Oh and I should have put the 'antique' in quotes, too. I bought them at separate auctions for less the $10 each. Yes, $10!!

Ok....on to business! I have been wanting these beautiful crystals for my dinning room chandlier for over a year now but I can never seem to come up with the money. So, once my kids started school last week and I was able to put a complete thought together, I hit my stash and found a few yards of beaded trim I have bought on clearance at Michael's. Humm...would it be enough to go around all five lamp shades?? Yes!!! So I grabbed my best friend, AKA Hot Glue Gun, and sat down to work! I added the beaded trim and a few yards of ball trim I had on hand and crated these.....

...and when on....

Easy as pie and I spent nothing. I got the effect I wanted by just RE-thinking what I already had!

Be sure to check out The Nester today. She has some great ideas for using old doors, too...other that as a desk top!

Good luck on YOUR project today!

RE-bekah

Hellooooooo!

2009-09-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

I my effort to create a beautiful home for less by shopping for treasures at The Dollar Tree, I came upon this.....

Helloooooo potential! This little beauty satisfied two of my resent obsessions- Marie Antoinette shoes and pin cushions! I had to have it. To make the deal even sweeter it was ON SALE! *2* for $1.00!! Who knew the Dollar tree had sales!?!?! So I came home with two cutie patooty shoes...and a few other trinkets which will make their debut later.

As is typical with me, I can not leave well enough alone. In the spirit of RE, I had to doctor this baby up. I started with a new coat of paint...just craft paint...nothing fancy. I also added some fabric and trims and glitter and gems and faux pearls and a ribbon slide...(Yeah....this is the fancy stuff.) And this is how it turned out!

Purtty, Huh????