chair lift

$8 thrift chair…cute curves but in dire need of a facelift…

Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint (graphite) & Soft Wax.  Cushion – new foam pad topped with creamy vinyl.

“The discontented man finds no easy chair.”  ~ Benjamin Franklin

stick snowflake

Inspired by browsing on Pinterest…. how cute is the craft stick snowflake?!

• craft sticks, wood glue, clothes pins, glossy white paint

Connect 3 pairs of sticks together, then glue them to create the center star:

Let dry.  Meanwhile, glue the “chicken feet” ends together – 6 total trios.

Connect the diamond pieces all around using fingers & thumbs as vices, & clothes pins.  This part takes patience!

Glue the trios onto each end point.  Let dry completely, then paint.  Hang with clear wire or strong thread.

“It’s too early.  I never eat December snowflakes.  I always wait until January.”  ~ Lucy  (Charlie Brown Christmas quotes)

ornament wreath

Classy!

Thrift store frame $1 & mini glass ornaments $2:

• paint frame with metallic paint (Folk Art 580 Taupe & 675 Champagne)
• arrange & decide ornament placement – use 3M super strength adhesive (follow package directions) to glue in place one by one

(side note:  hot glue works….however, if the wreath is in between a south-facing front door & storm door….the heat generated may re-melt the glue…& leave the cute ornaments in a big, broken, gluey heap on the floor)

• attach wide velvet loop with thumb tacks on backside, hang on wreath holder
• make a pretty bow & tape or pin in place

Let the Christmas Season begin!

“My precept to all who build is, that the owner should be an ornament to the house, & not the house to the owner”  ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

corn door

A cute candy corn freath:

The $3 thrift store frame before:

• paint one coat primer
• paint upper white & lower yellow colors
• use painter’s tape for orange color boundaries
• remove tape & touch-up

“People always ask me, ‘Were you funny as a child?’  Well, no, I was an accountant.”  ~ Ellen DeGeneres

square scare

Last year, the wreath rotator adorned the front door.  This year, the same feather boa attached to a wooden frame (25 cents, thrift store).

The word “attach” used very loosely…

Black thread + scotch tape + feather boa = new wreath

It’s suppose to be scary…

simple switches

The June 2012 issue of House Beautiful is full of great ideas for renewing & creating interiors.

Two articles stand out ~ the first starting on page 82 because a Kansas City house was featured!  The second (page 92 – 101) article, by David A. Keeps, interviews interior designer Betsy Burnham who shares solid concepts with regards to spaces…here a few favorite points:

• pairing colors with neutrals = richer look
• all rooms need a little black
• any color resembling bad foundation make-up is wrong!
• float furniture away from walls
• all rooms need something old
• children’s rooms need a grown-up attitude…not Disney murals or team bedsheets…  (please, I’m begging you…don’t do it!)
• say “no” to  crazily painted floors

The issue is chalk full of fun for interior design junkies!

“You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.”  ~ Zig Ziglar

flag freath

Looking for a simple, easy, red-white-&-blue wreath?

• wreath form – foam circle or a frame
• crepe paper
• tape

Secure the crepe paper to the back of the frame with tape & wrap around as desired.  Turning at the corners required a couple separate pieces.

A simple painted cookie cutter star, hung with elastic jewelry thread, finishes the piece.

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic.  It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”  ~ Arthur Ashe

master makeover

The master bedroom is a work in progress.  The long turn-around due to… this “frugal minded” & super patient chick who will NOT put just anything in the house!

Here’s the transformation on the wifey side of the room – snore bore matchy dresser before:

After!:

All that for less than $150.  Sold the old dresser on Craig’s List for $150, bought the new for $150, chair $35, mirror $50 Hobby Lobby, lamp $25 Target, dogwood picture (moi) $5 winkflash, frame $25 Kohl’s.  The double frame – $1 thrift shop – actually has b/w family pics but for the blog, scrapbook paper.

Blue painter tape helped in deciding where to hang pictures & mirror.  Originally, a shelf was in the plan, but the balance seemed…off.

Of course, fresh flowers are a must…

“Design is the method of putting form & content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.”  ~ Paul Rand

check points

Yesterday, a friend (hi, Deb!) shared an awesome parenting tip regarding activity decision-making.  The reference was to sports, but the concept can be applied across the board for many age groups.

Ask the following three questions:

1. Is he/she learning?
2. Is he/she improving?
3. Is he/she having fun?

Short, sweet, substantial.  Love it!  Do you have any quick parenting tips to share?

“God gives every bird his worm, but He does not throw it into the nest.”  ~ P.D. James

message wreath

A little welcome greeting…

$3 thrift shop frame, originally stained wood color.  Below, primed with Gliddon’s Gripper:

Next, two coats of Behr’s glossy Cottage White, followed by distressing on some edges.

Thanks to hubbie for cutting 2 1/2 inch chalkboard squares (material left-over from previous projects).  Originally, 5 squares were planned to be used…but they took more space than predicted…  so much for “hello”…

Less is more, right?  Loose leaf rings hold the squares in a dangly row:

A narrow ribbon secures the message within the frame.

Maybe we’ll go with “BOO” in October…”love” in February…or use text lingo any time of year…