Burlap Silhouette Prints

I am SO excited to share my newest product offering: burlap silhouette prints.  You simply provide a digital photo and I will create a timeless silhouette on burlap.  These make wonderful gifts and are also a great addition to a gallery wall.  I can add text of your choice to the print.  For example, I can add a couple's names and wedding date to a silhouette of a photo from their wedding day.  A child's silhouette could include their name and birth date.  The possibilities are endless and I love to work with my customers to create a custom work of art for their home.  Stop by my Etsy shop and check out my prints!

Easy DIY Infinity Scarf

I'm so excited for fall and the cozy, layered clothes that come along with the season.  Infinity scarves are my current obsession.  I love how they can transform a t-shirt and jeans into a very put together look.  I'm also loving the plaid, flannel prints that are trendy this year.  I don't love the price tags of some of the cute scarves I've seen so I decided to try my hand at a DIY scarf.  It was so easy!

What you need:

• 1 yard flannel fabric
• Coordinating thread

Steps:

1. Start by cutting two 18"x33" rectangles from your yard of fabric.
2. Lay the two pieces of fabric one on top of the other.
3. Sew along one of the short sides (about 1/4" from the edge of the fabric and press along the seam you just sewed.  Now you have one long piece of fabric.
4. Fold the piece of fabric in half long ways (or "hot dog" style).
5. Sew down the long side opposite the fold.  Now you have a long tube.
6. Turn the tube right side out and press the fabric.
7. Take one of the short ends and fold the fabric into itself about 1/2-3/4".
8. Insert the other short end into the short end that you just folded to create a big loop.
9. Sew the two short ends together (about 1/4" from the edge of the folded short end).  You will be sewing through 4 layers of fabric (the two inside the other two).
10. Wrap that cozy scarf around your neck!!

Easy Fall Decor

Today I'm sharing some simple fall decor ideas.  First, you can't decorate for fall without pumpkins.  These painted pumpkins are my favorite DIY fall decorations.  Though you could absolutely paint real pumpkins, I chose to paint artificial pumpkins so that I could use them year after year.  Don't get me wrong, I love real pumpkins and I use plenty of those in my fall decor, but these little artificial pumpkins are a nice addition.  Also, after you go to the effort to paint them, it's nice to know that they'll last more than one season.  I bought my artificial pumpkins at Michael's for around $5 on sale.  Another nice thing about these pumpkins is they come in traditional orange, black and cream.  This is great because it can save you lots of time because you don't need to paint a base coat.

You can freehand your design on the pumpkins or you can use painter's tape.  I freehanded my polka dot and argyle pumpkins.  I used painter's tape to make the chevron and candy corn pumpkins.  For detail work like the dashed lines on the argyle pumpkins, I used paint pens.

The possibilities are endless.  In addition to my argyle, polka dot, chevron and candy corn pumpkins, you could also make monogram, damask, houndstooth, silhouette, or plaid pumpkins.

Chalkboards can be another easy fall decoration.  They have a natural, rustic look which is great for fall decor.  There are so many cute fall printables and quotes online.  If you find a printable you love and you want to transfer it to chalkboard, simply print it out on regular printer paper and use white transfer paper to transfer the outline of the image to chalkboard.  Here are a few of my favorite fall quotes.

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."      - F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Autumn paints in colors summer has never seen."
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise."     - Psalm 100:4

My fall-themed burlap prints also make a great addition to a fall mantel or other vignette.  Stop by my Etsy shop to check them out.

Custom Burlap Wedding Signs

My sister got married this summer.  The wedding was so unique and beautiful!  They chose a rustic, vintage peacock theme.  My sister is very creative and crafty and I was excited to help her bring their gorgeous vision to life!

My sister is a librarian so she chose some of her favorite romantic literary quotes and I made burlap table number signs with the quotes.  I incorporated her "official" peacock clip art in the signs to bring the whole theme together.  She used this same peacock clip art in her invitations and programs.

My sister placed my "Choose a seat, not a side" print at the entrance to the ceremony on a small table with the programs.

On the sweetheart table, my sister displayed the "Mr. & Mrs" print.  This print is great because it makes a wonderful addition in the newlyweds' home after the wedding day!

For their exit, my sister had the great idea to have the guests wave glowsticks.  I made a custom sign to direct the guests to the glowsticks.

I also made the fun initials pictured above.  These were super easy.  I bought the cardboard letters at Hobby Lobby, painted them with craft paint and then cut gift wrap to fit the letters and adhered it with Mod Podge.  I co-hosted my sister's bridal shower and we used these initials as a table decoration and my sister was able to reuse them at the wedding.

My burlap wedding signs are available on my Etsy shop.  I also love custom orders and I really enjoy working with brides to bring their unique vision to life!

Our Playroom!

Today I'm sharing the most used room in our home, our playroom!  This room is one of the main reasons why we chose this house.  Our home was originally the model home for the neighborhood so the garage was finished as the sales office.  There's a lot less business, and a lot more fun, happening in that old sales office as it is now our playroom.  On a side note, the first owners added a garage so the playroom isn't "costing" us a garage.

 

Source List:

• Shelving Units - Ikea Expedit units (baskets also from Ikea)
• Easel - Ikea Mala Easel
• Circus Tent - Ikea Cirkustalt
• Sofa, Chair & Ottoman - Pier One (about 10 years ago)
• Book Ledges - Ikea Ribba Picture Ledges
• Play Kitchen - KidKraft Retro Kitchen
• Children's Table & Chairs - Ikea Latt Table & Chairs
• Train Table - Imaginarium
• Children's Chairs - Pottery Barn Kids My First Anywhere Chair
• Scrabble Letters - I made these using square wood plaques from Hobby Lobby.  I designed my Scrabble letters using PowerPoint and printed them on regular paper.  Then I traced over the letters onto the wood plaques using transfer paper.  Finally, I painted the letters with black craft paint.
• Wall quotes - I made these.  Check out my Etsy shop!  I can make burlap prints with any quote or phrase you choose!  (I bought the frames at Michaels)
• Hot Air Balloon and Polka Dot Wall Art - I found gift wrap that I loved and framed it.  So easy and there are some really cute gift wraps out there!
• Cornhole Boards - My parents bought these at a local craft show
• Magnet Board - Ikea Spontan magnetic board
• Window Valences - I made these based on a fantastic tutorial from Kristen at Down Home Inspiration.  They were super easy, cheap, no sew and only took about 10 minutes to make.  The fabric is Premier Prints Towers Village in Blue/Natural.

Laundry Room Wall Art

My parents are moving (closer to me - woohoo!) so I wanted to get them a housewarming gift.  But, what kind of housewarming gift do you give your parents who already have everything?  Something just for fun!  Actually, these little signs are pretty functional, too.  I made these laundry room signs for the change (sometimes dollars) you find when doing laundry and the orphan socks.  My parents had a laundry closet at their old house but they have a whole laundry room at the new house so I think my momma will really enjoy decorating this new space and these little signs will be a good start.

I bought the unfinished wood plaques at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 each (actually less with Hobby Lobby's handy 40% off coupon).  I stained them with some General Finishes Java Gel Stain I had leftover from staining my craft table.  This stain is so easy to use.  You rub it on with a cloth or sock.  It doesn't drip, dries fast and it only took one coat!  I bought the little silver bucket for the dollar aisle at Target and I bought the silver clips from Amazon and I attached them to the plaque with screws.  I designed the text in PowerPoint and printed it out on regular printer paper.  Then, I traced over the text with a sheet of transfer paper between the printout and the plaque to transfer the outline of the image to the plaques.  Finally, I filled in the text using a white chalk pen.  This entire project cost less than $10.  I can't wait to give them to my parents!

Mommy's Playroom (aka Craft Room)

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite rooms in our home.  I have wanted a craft room for as long as I can remember and I finally have one!  It is so nice to be able to organize all my craft supplies and to have everything where I can access it easily.  I also love that if my baby girl wakes up from a nap when I'm in the middle of a craft project, I can just leave everything out and come back to it later.

Since this room is all mine and since it's a creative space, I wanted a fun, bright color scheme.  I found the perfect bold, floral fabric with hues of teal, chartreuse, coral, saffron yellow, and orange and the room took shape around that.  I'm in LOVE with this fabric!

Source List:

• Craft table - The top is a 36" wide hollow core door from Lowe's.  I used General Finishes Java Gel Stain to stain the door.  This stain is fantastic.  It doesn't drip, goes on easy & fast, and only took one coat.  The base is a white cube shelf from Target and the opposite side is attached to wall brackets.  The whole table cost under $75!
• Curtains - I made the curtains.  They're a simple rectangle with a rod pocket.  I gathered the corners and secured them using safety pins to give the look of a roman shade.  I bought the fabric at Hobby Lobby.  The designer is P. Kaufmann and the print is called Silsila.
• Lamp - The lamp was from Target and I recovered the shade with some scrap fabric I had on hand.  I cut the fabric to size and mod podged it to the lamp shade.  Tip: Create a finished "seam" by folding and ironing one end of the fabric before attaching it to the lamp shade.
• Stool - My dad bought this stool for my from an awesome local shop, Class and Trash.
• Chair - I bought a pair of these chairs from a local online buy/sell/trade site for $30 for the pair.  They were originally black.  I spray painted the chair with Valspar Moonlit Surf.  The other chair is in our office and is painted a warm cream color.
• White shelves - I bought these from Walmart online for $65 for the pair.  Before I attached the backs of the shelves, I attached some fabric I had on hand to the backs to add more color and pattern to the room.  This can be switched out easily.
• Burlap wall prints - I made these.  Check out my Etsy shop!
• Embroidery hoop wall art - I made these using some embroidery hoops from Hobby Lobby and fabric scraps I had on hand.  This is a great, inexpensive way to add a pop of color and pattern to any room.
• Chalkboards - I bought the silver trays from Dollar Tree.  I cut black contact paper to fit the center of the trays.  Black contact paper works as a chalkboard surface.  I designed my text using Powerpoint and printed it on regular print paper.  Then, I placed a piece of white transfer paper on my chalkboard and then placed the printout on top of the transfer paper and traced over the text.  This leaves an outline of the text on the chalkboard.  Finally, I used a chalk pen to fill in the text outline.

I hope you enjoyed my craft room!  Feel free to comment with any questions and I'll be happy to answer them!

Dining Room

I'm back with my latest installment of my before and after series.  Today I'm sharing our dining room.  In our last house, we used the dining room as our music room/office.  I'm so excited to have a real dining room at the new house!  I feel so blessed that we were able to completely furnish this room with family pieces.  My husband inherited his grandmother's dining room furniture before we met and it had been in storage for about 10 years.  The first time I saw the furniture was when my dad and my husband moved it to the house.  My hubby always said he thought it was my style and he was right!  Yay!  After 10 years in storage, the furniture needed a little love.  I cleaned and polished it with Old English and I recovered the chair seats in a classic houndstooth fabric.  Here's a before and after of one of the chairs.

Are you ready for a before and after of the whole room?!  Well, wait no more...

Here's a source list for the room:

• Wall Color - Benjamin Moore Wedgewood Gray (this is definitely blue, not gray)
• Curtains - I made these.  The fabric is Premier Prints Barber Twill Powder Blue from fabric.com
• Curtain Rods and Clips - target.com
• Rug - Homespun Moroccan Trellis Rug in tan from rugsusa.com
• Chair Seat Fabric - Premier Prints Houndstooth Powder Grey from fabric.com
• Lamps - Hobby Lobby
• Artwork - I found these prints on The Graphics Fairy's site and I had them printed on cardstock at Staples for under $2.  The frames are from AC Moore and they were on a 50% off sale for under $15 each.
• Table Runner - This is such an easy and inexpensive table runner project.  Just buy a roll of wide burlap "ribbon" and cut it to the appropriate length for your table.  I bought mine at Hobby Lobby.  It was in the floral department.

Thanks for checking out my dining room!  I'll leave you with a few more after pics.  

Butler's Pantry Turned Bar

Our new house had a small pantry in the kitchen and a butler's pantry off the kitchen.  Since our last house had no pantry, we felt that one pantry would be plenty for us and we decided to do something more fun with the butler's pantry.  We made it our bar.  We have voted this little room "most improved" in our house.  Check out the before and after!

One of the first things we did after closing on the house was to pull these awful ivy curtains down!  Then my husband removed the shelves and I painted the room with Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter (my favorite greige).  It already felt so much lighter and younger.  Then we brought in the furniture.  The bar is from Crate and Barrel.  My husband had it before we met (but it's still available at Crate and Barrel).  I love this bar.  You can fit so much in it and it's so organized.

We bought the brass shelf brackets from House of Antique Hardware for around $40 shipped and we bought the glass shelf at a local glass shop.  We were inspired by this brass and glass shelf from Pottery Barn but we didn't love the $200 per shelf price tag.

Inspiration Shelf from Pottery Barn

Our Shelf

I made a quick window valence based on this tutorial from Down Home Inspiration.  It's a great tutorial and it really only took about 10 minutes to make.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our little bar room!

Kitchen Remodel

As promised, I'm back with some more before and after pics from our recent remodeling.  Today, we'll visit our kitchen.  This was definitely the room that needed the most work when we bought our house.  It used to be the eye sore and now it's my favorite room in the house! This is our kitchen now.

We replaced the laminate countertops with Arabesco granite.  I love the gray tones of marble but I knew marble just wouldn't be practical for a family with two children under four and two clumsy adults who love red wine.  So, we went with this Arabesco granite and I LOVE it!  The gray tones are perfect.  We also replaced our backsplash with a classic white subway tile and used gray grout for some extra dimension.  We replaced the appliances with new stainless appliances and we switched out the old fluorescent light fixture for a classic schoolhouse light.  Finally, we replaced the old super-textured, very beige tile floors for new slate style ceramic tile floors.  Now, for the before and after pics!

Master Bedroom Remodel

We moved into our new house a couple months ago.  I've been busy, busy, busy decorating (hence, my long absence from my blog).  We're finally starting to feel settled and I'm finally ready to start compiling some before and after pics.  I LOVE before and after pics.  I hope you enjoy mine!  I'm going to begin with my master bedroom.  It's one of the most "finished" rooms.  Are you really ever finished with a room?!?  My husband would tell you, I'm not!

(The before pic is from the real estate listing)

I made the curtains, headboard and throw pillows.  All of the fabric is from fabric.com and the brand is Premier Prints.  The curtains are Linked Navy Blue.  The headboard is Winston Premier Navy.  The throw pillows are Houndstooth Powder Grey.  I painted my tan burlap lamp shades with some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen that I had left over from a previous project.  The coverlet and shams are from West Elm a few years ago and the sheets are from Pottery Barn.  The wall color is Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments (so calming!).  

The headboard was so easy to make.  My hubby picked up a piece of plywood from Lowe's (they cut it to size for him).  I bought a foam mattress pad from Target.  I wrapped the foam pad around the plywood and stapled it to the plywood in the back.  Then I wrapped the fabric over the foam pad and stapled it to the plywood in the back again.  I mounted it to the wall using a french cleat.  Check out my DIY upholstered headboard tutorial for more information.

My friend made the awesome wall monogram for me.  She covered canvases in gray burlap and used black craft paint for the letters.  She free handed the letters based on a font she printed.  Amazing!  I love them!

I hope you enjoyed my before and after!  I love the tranquil feeling of our new bedroom.  I hope to post pics of some other rooms soon.  Stay tuned!!