Vacation Time!

We are off to Santa Cruz, CA for a much needed vacation starting tomorrow! I am REALLY looking forward to lounging on the beach, the Boardwalk, and spending time with my family! Regular posting will be back next week!

See what paint can do? My mini chair re-do

I finished sanding and repainting the tiny rocking chair that I bought at a garage sale for $2! It is the cutest little chair, and the total project cost me $2 just for the cost of the chair. I used my electric sander that I got for Christmas, and I had a free sample quart of white Glidden paint. My kids love sitting in it, and it looks super cute in their rooms.

Here is the before:



I really think this chair is atleast 50 years old. The paint was super old and had multiple layers of paint, so it took A LONG time to sand completely. I was worried about the paint containing lead, since it was common in paint back then so I wore a doctor's mask every time I sanded it so I couldn't breathe it in.

Here is the after:



Much better, right? A fresh coat of paint work wonders!

I am currently working on the other chair that I bought at that same garage sale, also for $2. It is going in a nook in my bedroom, and I am excited for the end result. I am re-upholstering it in a red and white houndstooth! My goal was to get it done before I head to Santa Cruz on Wednesday for a vacation, but I don't think it is going to happen!

Cute Coasters

Isn't this a super easy and affordable idea? If you don't have any mod podge yet, I highly suggest you go and get yourself some. They can make any item into something super cool. Wal-Mart sells it, as well as any craft store.

Over at less cake {more frosting}, Ellie G makes these out of those terra cotta saucers that you can buy super cheap at The Home Depot (seriously, like forty cents each!).

First, she primed them with primer spray paint, and then coated them with the black spray paint. Once the paint was dry, she mod podged the Beatles pictures to the inside part of the saucer, and finished with a sealing coat.

I think these would make awesome wall hangings too, if you got big enough saucers!

Pardon the Wrinkles!

I FINALLY finished my burlap ruffled table covering! I sewed it this morning, and here it is! I haven't tested it to see if burlap is ok to iron, but for now, here are some pictures! I'm happy with the way it turned out, and it was fairly easy to make. So, please pardon the wrinkles for now!





As you can see in my previous post, my table was in desperate need of some covering up! It's been used and abused by my family!

Ugly

Here are some photos of my kitchen curtains that I've recently made, like promised! Aren't they wild? I got the fabric from IKEA, and originally the bird fabric was white, so I tried to dye it off-white. It turned out to be a horrible mistake because it came out peach. So, after trying to remove the peach color, and 5 washes later, I just decided to go with a marigold yellow since I am introducing that color into the adjacent family room anyways. If it were my choice, the curtains wouldn't be this bright yellow, but they would be the off-white color I wanted! All well, live and learn, right?! I still like them, I just have to tie them in better by introducing more yellow elsewhere.

As for the rest of the kitchen...see what I am currently dealing with? This is our crapped up dining table that is getting a burlap cover sewn for it VERY soon!



Oh, and look at our lovely linoleum...isn't is just heinous? That is also going to be replaced hopefully in the near future. My husband Danny wants a slate tile kitchen floor, which I think would look great!



Our kitchen has come a LONG way since we first moved in. It had original cabinetry from the 1960's, and the layout was horrible. Lucky for me, Danny is handy and remodeled everything himself. So, as you can see we still have many projects cut out for us. It will get there, but in the meantime, I just have to live with some of the ugliness this kitchen is offering!

Ribbon Art

When I saw this fabulous work of art from Disney at Ruffles and Stuff, I knew I needed to scour the internet for other types of artwork using ribbon for inspiration.



Here is a tray from Sarah at 2 Giggle Boxes...



Isn't this a cute jewelry holder? It's from Sketch 42...



This cute ribbon flower from Creatively Kept...



This cute handpainted canvas by Gnome G...



Ribbon can be so fun and feminine. Do you see how easy it can be to take a few trimmings of ribbon and lace and create something so art-worthy?! I will definitely be creating my own version of ribbon art VERY soon!

Bear with me today guys...it's been one crazy day so far! I hopped the border over to Oregon this morning to pick up my husband's Father's Day gift (we are literally 15 minutes from the Oregon border). And my husband Danny got hurt at work yesterday pretty bad, so I've been dealing with his injury today. He hurt his knee and is at the Doctor right now...so I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's nothing serious.

Super cute art idea coming tomorrow!

Burlap Love

I've noticed a trend amongst fellow crafters...it's all about BURLAP! I love the texture, color, and rugged-ness of it. In my efforts to makeover my kitchen, I've decided to make my own version of a burlap tablecloth.

Now, I have to be honest here...my dining table desperately needs to be covered up! I have a four year old, and one year old twins that have used and abused that table. While I don't plan to buy a new one in the next little while, I wanted to make something that I could cover it up with in between meals.

I was inspired by this little cutie from the fabulous Jen at Tatertots and Jello...



And some more of her burlap projects. Aren't they cute?

Click here to see her Table Runner tutorial.



Click here to see her Napkin Rings tutorial.



Today I will be working on my burlap tablecloth during naptimes!

Martha Monday: Father's Day Gift Ideas

With Father's Day fast approaching, I'm sure we could all use a few gift ideas. I'm all about handmade, and my friend Martha never fails to come through with handmade gift ideas. Here are some of my favorites from her website...

Printable labels...


Homemade BBQ sauce (will definitely be making this)...


Personalized ties...


More clip art for magnets/buttons...


DAD photo frame...


Gifts wrapped in bow ties...


Belt Organizer...


Car wash kit...


Click here to check it out.

Pillow Inspiration

Yesterday I had a nice visit with some other young moms, and I now have a new ambition after talking to one of my amazing photographer friend...I'm going to do a booth at the local Farmer's Market this year! I will sell decor items that I've sewed, created, and re-furbished. Since pillows are super easy to make, I've decided to focus on making throw pillows for right now, and sell them in coordinating sets!

So, as I looked up some pillow inspiration on some of my other favorite sites, I found some really cute pillow ideas that can serve as inspiration...

Jen from Tatertots and Jello...



Redberry Barn made these cute ones...



And one of my favorite gals...Disney from Ruffles and Stuff made these...




I'm so excited to get started and sew some creations. Time to shop for some fabric and pillow forms!

My Color Scheme

Yesterday I had so much energy I barely sat down! I was a busy bee all around the house...I finished sewing my kitchen curtains, I steam cleaned the carpets, tackled a week's worth of laundry, and baked up a storm!

I'm currently working to add some new colors to my family room/kitchen. Currently, they consist of chocolate brown, orange, and off-white. I want to add some golden yellow and teal...and these are some of the fabrics I have in mind...




Added to a color scheme of...




Sometimes, just adding one more accent color to a room can make a HUGE impact and make it feel totally different!

I am a little worried that the curtain fabric I just used is a little too bright of yellow, but I won't know until the whole space is put together. Remember the RIT dye fiasco? I ended up dying it marigold to fix it, knowing that I was going to introduce those colors into the space, and it just came out a little bright...so we'll see how it all ends up!

Since I live in a small town, one of my favorite places to order fabric from is Fabricworm. There are a huge variety of fabrics to choose from!