Wood & Wire Photo Boards

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been gone for so long. July has been a stressful month, but I have more free time now to focus on HWTH so be prepared. I hope yall are surviving the heat and staying cool. We have been stuck in the house getting stuff packed so thankfully we have avoided it some. I do have a fun new project for you to try to keep your mind off this sticky, hot summer.

One thing that I love and it's displaying pictures. I wanted to find a new creative way to display them on this nice blank wall in my kitchen without being overwhelming in such a small space. A little rustic wood feel was what I was going for, but did not want to make a lot of picture frames from scratch or buy $15 4x6 frames at the store. When I came across this post by Liz Marie, I fell in love. It's so different and eye catching.

Supplies
2x6x12
Stain
Foam Brush
Old sock or Rag
Eye Hooks
Picture Wire
Command Strips

I rummaged through the wood at Lowe's to find the best piece while the hubby was off entertaining Raleigh in the lighting aisle. Once I found the perfect piece, I had the guy at Lowe's cut it into (3) 4' sections since it was free. I got right to sanding each piece so there were no splinters trying to stab me. If you haven't stained anything before then I have a few steps here.

Measure and mark the exact center of the board on both ends so you know where to put the eyes. Take the eye hooks and screw them in where you marked. Next, twist the picture wire connecting both ends. Make sure it is as tight as it can get. 

Finally you can start clipping your cute pictures, sayings, or kids artwork up on the wall. Now I have to find a spot on my wall for it ;) It's a lot easier to change these pictures out rather than A regular collage frame.

 Please ignore the grainy pictures. A little girl I know stole my camera and hid it that day. Hope you like me little project. Until next time. 

Nursery Makeover Tour

I realized recently that I have never shown Raleigh's room. I just painted and redecorated so I thought it would be a good time to give you a sneak peek.

 Before:

Moved around furniture before painting to see what I liked:

Wow Panoramic was much easier to get everything in at once.

After a layer of primer, because if any room has ever needed it then it was this surprising assault of a room. I had a couple of people say woah when they turned the corner. I have been wanting to change the color for months, but just never got to it. My plan to paint was off-white & gray bold stripes. The hubby didn't want that so I comprised to solid off-white on the top half, and if we didn't like it then I could do the stripes.

I ended up painting at 8pm, 2am, and then again at 7am. The primer we got in before the hubby went to work so I got help with that but was on my own on the late night shift. We had sweet Raleigh's crib in our room during the whole process, of course she didn't mind waking up and seeing us immediately. Yes, I think white would look better with the white & gray walls but I am fine with it this way.

 This bookshelf was actually mine as a kid so I was overjoyed to see that the color matched her crib & dresser. Most of the books are either my old books or my mother's so we definitely have some oldies on there ;)

I guess drawing during class & work finally paid off. This chalkboard is hand drawn.  

The baby monitor being in that corner was genius! Thanks Ashley Taylor! I can see the whole room since it pans & zooms. So when she's pulling all the books off the shelf or rolling on the floor then I can see her. Next to the mirror I am planning on getting some white single picture frames to hang there.

Recognize that yellow mirror & chalkboard poster???

There's the birthday girl pulling her blankies off. I had to get more than one since she loves them. I have to say they are ridiculously soft.

Sorry for the yellowy tint to the pictures. It was kind of gloomy that morning so there wasn't a whole lot of good light. I wanted to tone down after that bright yellow wall because all I ever wanted was a pop of yellow. Someone else *cough* painted since i was 7 months prego when we moved into the house.

Those floors are the big project for me to do in the bedrooms. I DO NOT like carpet. I have always had hardwood & I miss it *tear*. What's your favorite item or feature in her room?

Repurposed Crates into Cabinets

Living in the country you fall in love with certain things & want to use them in different way & places: Like mason jars, baskets, & crates. If any of you know me then you know I get bored with decor & want to change it often. From repainting, new furniture, or just wall stuff being switched out. I love updating pieces that are boring or plain into something that's unique & instantly eye catching.

I went to Michael's in search of some unfinished crates...i know not Hobby Lobby! That's my usual go to place. I was so surprised at how many different sizes they had & at good prices plus a 40% coupon which is always a winner! I love me some coupons! 

After a long debate on sizes I finally chose 2  

I knew I already had some stain at the house that was intended for a vanity redo, but I haven't gotten that adventurous yet. I'm just terrified of ruining my vanity  waiting for the right time. Anyways, I love dark wood & would have it through my whole house if I could, so I chose some dark stain: Mona for Rust-o-leum. 

First, be prepared to get stain on you. My first stroke splattered satin all over my hand; by the end of the project it was even on my forehead! I just barely tipped the brush with stain & usually went with the grain, but that doesn't matter. After about 5 minutes on each side, wipe off the excess with a rag & make sure you go WITH THE GRAIN! You have to go with the grain or you will see the stain lines. 

I didn't want a glossy coat & it wasn't going to be outside so I didn't do the polyurethane coat like I usually do. I wanted it to look worn & aged so I didn't mind if the color wasn't perfect all over either. 

I let it dry, which only took about 15 minutes. To get that distressed, worn look I damaged it with hammer, chain, & screwdriver. Just put some dents & scratches in there. I can tell you that I am again in love. I knew I would like the color, but I can't get over seeing it on there. AMAZING! Makes me want to jump into that bathroom or kitchen.

I finally got some brackets for these and of course my hubby comes up with a better & cheaper way to mount them. NAILS! Why didn't i think of that? I'll say because it's simple & I complicate things lol. So we got them the level we wanted, put 2 nails in for each crate then just placed the nails between the top slits and perfection.

I didn't notice that run until after, but it adds a little to this so I don't mind :)

Those candles being lit definitely changed the feel of the bathroom; it went from boring & bland to cozy & relaxing. Perfect bath mood lighting ;)

DIY Inexpensive No Sew Curtains

I love curtains! I think curtains & paint can change a room drastically. Unfortunately, curtains are so expensive. A good quality panel can run $15-$25...for one! That's crazy in my opinion, especially when you have 3 windows in one room. That could run you $125 for curtains in one room. Now I am a design on a dime kind of girl. If I can find a solution that looks just as good for half the price I'll jump for it.

So I've been trying to redo my living room in small bits. Throw pillows, bookshelves, wall art, paint, & curtains. I've gotten a few throw pillows gradually, only 1 bookshelf, and the paint is picked out. Since I work at 4am in the morning I search hgtv.com & other decorating sites & blogs for tips. I had seen several using duvet covers as curtains, but I was looking for less still.

I kicked myself when I realized that I could use sheets! Raleigh's room has a twin sheet with layered ruffles, courtesy of Auntie Ashley, that reminded me of a fabulous idea. Now Raleigh's twin sheet didn't  stretch far enough across to cover the whole window, so I was extra careful and measured my window & then got one bigger just to be sure. 1 trip to Walmart & I have a fabulous curtain set!

Walmart list:
       Full Flat Sheet $8.96
       Hem Tape $1.96 (5/8wide 10 ft long roll so you can use a long time)
       Curtain Clips $6.96 (already had)

The sheet was already folded in half so I just cut right up the middle long ways. I had the thick seam for the bottom since it was going to be on the floor I wanted it to be more secure. Heated up my iron & got to work. The Heat n Bond has instructions on the back, but its super simple even I could do it...and that's saying a lot ;)

After it was ironed out & hemmed up then it was time to clip them on. I love these because I don;t have to cut into the fabric or add anything else on like ribbon. Plus if I ever want to change them real quick then I just unclip. Odd thing is that the pack I had only came with 7 clips, which makes my 2 panels uneven on the rod. So when I get my next batch this weekend then I'll take one of of those to make it even out. It looks uneven til I get some so bare with me.

Before & after curtains. Such a change from a dark room to a lighter feel with only one curtain. I'm excited to see it done this weekend. Also you might have noticed that it is higher on the wall. It gives the illusion of a bigger window. I've seen it countless times on design shows. 

Hope you like my 2 pillow covers on that chair. Pattern & Solids so it's not too busy. Navy, white, & tan is the kind of my color scheme I'm working around. I love that I can change them on a whim though for the different seasons.

I hate that the windows in this house are not centered to the wall. It irritates me and the hubby. He won't shut up about it since he noticed again when I was putting these up.

 See! 3 on one side...4 on the other. Grrrr

I kept the pull backs just in case I want to use them, but most of the time I will just have them hang & let them blow in the wind air conditioning.

 This little munchkin only wanted to help. I had to lock myself in a room to iron these out. She kept banging on it yelling MAMA MAMA. lol

Such a sweet little turd. 

So that's my solution to those expensive curtains. These are perfect: they are long enough to go to the ceiling, washable, comes in different colors & sizes, & you can paint on them to add more color too. I'm thinking chevrons or stripes one day. ;)

Mirror Redo for less than $25

Hey yal!

I know in my last post I gave you a sneak peek at Miss Raleigh's new mirror. It's finally done & ready to hang. It's a heavy one so the hubby has to hang it to make sure it stays put. If i did it then it would probably fall off the wall in the middle of the night & give me a heart attack. I'd be up with a gun & never go back to sleep. I'm paranoid at night.

Anyways, about a month ago I was lucky enough to catch a sale at Hobby Lobby for 80% off there furniture & wall accent pieces. I found this massive mirror I'd been searching everywhere for. Seriously, Craigslist with an addiction for me because I was trying to find something like this. Well at Hobby Lobby it was originally $100, my sale price...$20!!! The only problem...it was neon ORANGE! Nothing a little can of yellow spray paint can't fix (less than $4). That was not the color I was hoping for & the material was like some plaster kind of plastic, but the frame is heavy duty. The weight was ridiculous!

After boasting to the hubby about my find & grinning from ear to ear, I decided to find my spray paint. I knew I had a lot of yellow left over from my fan & that bright pop of color will look good on her walls when I finally paint the stripes I want. Gray & white stripes to be exact ( I am super excited to do this one, but have been putting it off because the stripes are a little scary).

I covered the mirror with some paper & tape. I told you...BRIGHT orange!

After many, many, many coats I finally got all the nooks & crannies. I had to go over the detailed scrolling a couple extra times to make sure it seeped into the cracks.

I pulled off the paper & tape. Unfortunately some spray paint got on the mirror, but the hubby was sweet and scrapped it off with a razor blade while I cooked dinner. Then cleaned it with Windex for that shine.

I have to say that this was a STEAL. I love it & it's perfect for her room. I've been looking for so long for this kind of frame. It looks like the wait paid off. ;)

Adding More Color to the Mason Jars

Hey everyone!

Hope yal had a great 4th! Holidays seem to come up so fast these days, so I am behind...AHH! I know I've been busy with work, Raleigh, cleaning & cleaning  wife stuff & having a cousin visit from Colorado (love you Haley); so I have been stretched a little thin these past few weeks. I have to start getting Ms Raleigh's first birthday stuff together because it'll be here before I know it.

I have been looking at Pintrest...again. I know, i know...scary thing seeing how much I post on there. I sit at my desk when it's slow at work finding things on there that inspire me. The other morning I found a new obsession: WASHI TAPE! It's pretty much glorified electrical tape, but much prettier. You can get almost any color & pattern.

I got good feedback on my summery mason jars, which I am still in love with, but the lids were poking me in the eyes with their shiny metal. I love stainless steel look don't get me wrong, but I wanted the lids to be just as colorful & fun as the jars themselves. I thought what better way to add that pop than with my new washi tape!

First, I wanted to spray paint the lids white so it'll stay with the light pastels for summer.
Once it dried I had to decide which tape & order to use. That was the hard part lol :) It only took an 1"or so of tape for every strip.

I have more colors coming in now so I might change them again every so often. I am gonna dress up my Kitchenaid mixer with them too.

DIY Summer Banner

Wow! I can't believe it's been a month since I wrote. Miss Raleigh has not been feeling well. She is my little vampire now (her top k9s came in before the middle ones). So now she has 3 bottoms & 1 top, she looks kinda funny adorable!! She's been miserable & attached to me because of those darn teeth. Plus we are looking for a new truck which if you've ever shopped for a car then you know how stressful & tedious that process is. Especially trying to avoid the salesmen stalking the parking lots. We try to stay in the car because as soon as you get out they pounce! They smell the money.

Since my little munchkin is going to be 1 in just a few months then of course I've been looking for party ideas. I can't believe it's almost been a year! I came across a few things I loved, but found a tutorial for a bunting banner that could work for any occasion. Since her birthday hasn't come up yet & I like to do test runs then I decided on a summer theme.


It's a creative fun way to give your home a little seasonal flare. I also love that you can design it yourself by picking your colors & patterns. I went with blues & greens with a dash of yellow for summer.

First, I got the scrapbook paper I wanted at Hobby Lobby. It usually is like 59 cents or less a sheet. 1 large sheet can make 3-4 triangles. I cut out the triangles the size I wanted, then laid out the pattern. 

 

I had some plain blank white paper to make the letters then did a solid border on the edge in bright yellow marker. I put the triangle underneath the blank paper so I could get a good size measurement on the letters. I drew them out then went crazy with my scissors. That was the longest part of this project. Cutting is annoying so much fun! (at least that's what they teach you in kindergarten)

Next, I rolled out the twine & figured how much I needed for the amount of triangles I had. I just laid it across the estimate then gave a little more just in case. After you figure that then punch 2 holes in each triangle, 1 on each side of the top for the string to go through. Don't put them too close to the corner or it'll bunch. Finally, just string it through the holes & in the pattern you like & VOILA! 

Your very own Homemade Banner!

I wish I had a larger mantle to drape this across but mine is small :( I started rearranging my living room after this so I might find another area for it soon. I will definitely be making one of these for all our holidays & birthdays. Hobby Lobby has so many cute scrapbook patterns that I almost bought a years worth just on one trip. Only reason I didn't was because I know they will bring more out closer to each holiday :D That is why Hobby Lobby is amazing! I've learned to always take your friend with you for color advice & to talk you out of buying more (or they convince you to buy more). 

Hope you have fun making your own banners. I loved doing this one & it was so quick that I know I'll be making more soon.

DIY Painted Mason Jars

Hey ladies, I know I've been gone awhile. We've been extra busy with my mom in town & my hubby getting hurt at work & Ms. Raleigh cutting another tooth. My munchkin has been going crazy in her walker lately. She's everywhere & loves trapping me on the couch with her walker...like right now. I hacve escaped so I come back with a fun project to make up for me being M.I.A.

I have had a box of mason jars sitting in a corner for months now & keep looking for something pretty to use them for besides alcohol like most people do. Finally I decided on flowers but paint them first with pastel colors so they arent plain & something you see everyday. It was so easy & fun picking out the colors. I'm in love with these jars! Now, I just have to go pick flowers from the yard.

Supplies:

• Foam Brush
• Paint
• Sandpaper
• Newspaper
• Mason Jars

First, clean the jars and lay down newspaper where you are going to do everything. Make sure the jars are dry then start painting the jars. I held the inside & lip so I could turn it while I paint. I painted the bottoms too, but that isn't necessary. Let dry, mine only took about an hour each & that was being safe. I liked the look and coverage after 2 coats. 

Next was my favorite part. Sanding! I chose a sanding bar instead of sandpaper, but sandpaper works great too. I barely grazed the words with the sandpaper to make it look worn & used.  Finally!!!

I love them! So bright & pretty. They are perfect for spring & summer. I just need flowers now. They are going on my floating shelves. Hope you enjoy these as much as I do. :)

Next post will be some Christmas tins redone for any room anytime of the year.